.~~/$%§@## ##@§%$/~~.
¨¨¨,,.^*@# #@*^.,,¨¨¨
¨^~%*£#@## ##@#£*%~^¨
,~»:;^%@¤& &¤@%^;:»~,
.,~:%%¤### ###¤%%:~,.
,,~^%¤@¶## 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. #@@§*%*=.,
¨~/%%§@@## ##@@§%%/~¨
,~~^§$¤### ###¤$§^~~,
,,,¨,,=-*£ £*-=,,¨,,,
¨~=\*£##@# #@##£*\=~¨
,-~/§$££@# #@££$§/~-,
,:~:^£§### ###§£^:~:,