..¨,:-/†@£ £@†/-:,¨..
,¨,¨.^~/*$ $*/~^.¨,¨,
,.,,:«\^¤§ §¤^\«:,,.,
¨.,~»:†¤@£ £@¤†:»~,.¨
¨.,»:†*£## ##£*†:»,.¨
,,~^^*§#@# statuette #@#§*^^~,,
.,,~\%$§## ##§$%\~,,.
,,..~*$%#¶ $%%§¤&&%££%$££*$-»~~»=-«¤%%@££§¤£§$£&¤&* ¶#%$*~..,,
¨..,-~;§§# $¤$£$¤%£& #§§;~-,..¨
..,¨.,»\^% %^\»,.¨,..
¨.,..«;%$¤ 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 #¶#$=†~~,,
.¨¨~~;%%£¶ she is worried and wants me to ¶£%%;~~¨¨.
,.,.,»*%¤§ throw it away. §¤%*»,.,.,
.....,=*%& &%*=,.....
,,¨,~«†§££ ££§†«~,¨,,
.¨¨,»†$¤#£ £#¤$†»,¨¨.
¨.^~;*£¤¶@ @¶¤£*;~^.¨
¨,~:%$&£@# #@£&$%:~,¨
,¨:»=%$¤@# #@¤$%=»:¨,