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