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