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