¨^~†%%@£## ##£@%%†~^¨
.~«/†¤&@@# #@@&¤†/«~.
.,~\%*#¶## ##¶#*%\~,.
,^«:^£&¶## ##¶&£^:«^,
¨^»†^$¤@@# #@@¤$^†»^¨
,.¨¨¨,:\$# 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 £#£§$§;~.,
,,=^†@£### freshly made, not yet completely dried. ###£@†^=,,
,,,¨-†%£@£ £@£%†-¨,,,
,,¨-=~††*@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @*††~=-¨,,
,,~\§£&@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@&£§\~,,
.-«:§£¤@@# she is worried and wants me to #@@¤£§:«-.
.,~:*£#### throw it away. ####£*:~,.
.¨.¨¨.-†@@ @@†-.¨¨.¨.
,:«†^$£¤#¶ ¶#¤£$^†«:,
¨-~«~§%&&£ £&&%§~«~-¨
.^~^%%£&&£ £&&£%%^~^.
,,~†$§££¶@ @¶££§$†~,,
.,-\*&#§@# #@§#&*\-,.