.¨.:,=§&@# #@&§=,:.¨.
,~»==%&@¤£ £¤@&%==»~,
..~**§¤@## ##@¤§**~..
.-»=^£#@## ##@#£^=»-.
.,~†=£§#@# #@#§£=†~,.
¨.,..,\$#@ statuette @#$\,..,.¨
,~:./^%%@@ @@%%^/.:~,
,,.,/;*$$£ $%$&£**£%@$§@%£%«---«~~=$&%**@£%¤$&%££$£ £$$*;/,.,,
.¨¨¨.,:^@# %%£%¤*%&@ #@^:,.¨¨¨.
,:=*$&@### ###@&$*=:,
,,.¨-%%*%¶ forests around my childhood home. thick ¶%*%%-¨.,,
,~~^†$&@@# pine arcades that were planted and #@@&$†^~~,
,-~/=@¤### forgotten. wild boars roaming ###¤@=/~-,
,.¨::-;$&£ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it £&$;-::¨.,
¨,,»/*=$#¤ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¤#$=*/»,,¨
.,-»~†£§£@ already soaked up all the sun. @£§£†~»-,.
.¨..¨~%§§@ @§§%~¨..¨.
¨.,,¨.==£# there's a river passing by, from east #£==.¨,,.¨
.~-\%$#### to west, getting broader and deeper and ####$%\-~.
¨.,:~/†§¶¶ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¶¶§†/~:,.¨
.,.¨~:§@£@ where the pine hands start to let @£@§:~¨.,.
¨,=/†£§£## through light, horsemint on the rocky ##£§£†/=,¨
¨.~*/†:£¤# river bed. #¤£:†/*~.¨
.,»:*&&£@# #@£&&*:»,.
¨,,^*=%§¤# / #¤§%=*^,,¨
¨,=††&@@@# #@@@&††=,¨
.^»^†£@¶#@ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight @#¶@£†^»^.
.,»/%%¤#&# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #&#¤%%/»,.
¨^«=*%&£## water, stone rings and floating moss. ##£&%*=«^¨
.-=**%¤### you could've found me wallowing around ###¤%**=-.
.,,-/%%@#@ on the southern shores until i got @#@%%/-,,.
,..:~-~/%¤ bitten. ¤%/~-~:..,
.-=^^/%*£# #£*%/^^=-.
,,,»-†%@@¤ but now i'm further back, on solid ¤@@%†-»,,,
.,¨,-\%¤#@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @#¤%\-,¨,.
.-=^*@§£@# orange tin radio and a translucent #@£§@*^=-.
.-~\*¤&§¤# umbrella which i'm sitting on. #¤§&¤*\~-.
¨,~*§£###@ @###£§*~,¨
.¨,,¨.-%£@ * @£%-.¨,,¨.
¨-=/%*&£## ##£&*%/=-¨
¨¨,¨,¨~:^¤ somethings moving in the grass. it's ¤^:~¨,¨,¨¨
¨^»/*&&@@£ invisible to my eyes but i can feel £@@&&*/»^¨
¨^«=$@§£@# through the ground just how large it is. #@£§@$=«^¨
,¨¨.,,»^@# #@^»,,.¨¨,
¨~~†*%@£@# the soil is muddy. i slip when trying #@£@%*†~~¨
.~»††£¤@## to get up, still looking at the ##@¤£††»~.
.^»:%§§@## direction of sound rather than at my ##@§§%:»^.
,....¨==^# hands, who are busy putting things in #^==¨....,
,¨¨,¨»:/*@ my pockets. @*/:»¨,¨¨,
¨,,.~=*¤&# #&¤*=~.,,¨
,-~†*%£¶## then i run east toward my home. ##¶£%*†~-,
.,.¨¨,~~†§ §†~~,¨¨.,.
,.¨,,;^#@# † #@#^;,,¨.,
¨.-:$$£££¶ ¶£££$$:-.¨
.¨,~,\;†$£ i am not followed, and slow down in the £$†;\,~,¨.
,,»;**%$£¤ clearing where you at first can spot ¤£$%**;»,,
¨-=:†%£@@# the house, not yet really in the #@@£%†:=-¨
.~=\^%¤&¤@ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my @¤&¤%^\=~.
¨,~/=£@@@# radio (now dented) but also a small #@@@£=/~,¨
¨.,¨..;%$# clay figure i've never seen before. it #$%;..¨,.¨
.:~^=£&### must have been laying in the wet dirt, ###&£=^~:.
¨.¨,»~*£@@ and i must've picked it up with my @@£*~»,¨.¨
.¨,,=;=†&¶ other belongings. ¶&†=;=,,¨.
¨,-=*$##¶# #¶##$*=-,¨
¨-«;*§@@## it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ##@@§*;«-¨
¨,»†%%£¶## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##¶£%%†»,¨
,--†§%£##@ roughly seven centimeters long. it's @##£%§†--,
,¨,,-»†§## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##§†»-,,¨,
¨-»\&&¶@## ##@¶&&\»-¨
¨:»††£@¶## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##¶@£††»:¨
¨^:,«~§^¤£ particle board for it to dry on, but £¤^§~«,:^¨
.,~*@#¶@## she is worried and wants me to ##@¶#@*~,.
.,,.¨,-†$# throw it away. #$†-,¨.,,.
¨.~:§@@@## ##@@@§:~.¨
.¨¨.~--§¤§ §¤§--~.¨¨.
..=/^£@@#@ @#@@£^/=..
,:~*†$¤@## ##@¤$†*~:,
,.~;=*@@## ##@@*=;~.,
,~»;=&§£## ##£§&=;»~,