,^=%¤£@@## ##@@£¤%=^,
,,~=§@#£@# #@£#@§=~,,
.,,.~%£¤@# #@¤£%~.,,.
,.¨,.«%£§# #§£%«.,¨.,
¨,¨¨,:~§££ ££§~:,¨¨,¨
,¨¨¨¨.^»§$ 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. ##§%=«-,,,
¨,,.,«%$@# #@$%«,.,,¨
,¨¨.¨~~†%£ £%†~~¨.¨¨,
..¨...,»=& &=»,...¨..
¨¨.¨,-»†£§ §£†»-,¨.¨¨
¨.,.--^%## ##%^--.,.¨
..,,=$*### ###*$=,,..