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