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