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