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