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