.¨.:~^$@@# #@@$^~:.¨.
¨,^»/£&@## ##@&£/»^,¨
.-»=&§£### ###£§&=»-.
.,^~\£@@## ##@@£\~^,.
...^~/%@@@ @@@%/~^...
...¨:»;£#¶ 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 ###@$\~~¨,
,.¨~»/%§@@ must have been laying in the wet dirt, @@§%/»~¨.,
..,¨~~/*££ and i must've picked it up with my ££*/~~¨,..
,,,,.,-=@¤ other belongings. ¤@=-,.,,,,
...,-~*££¶ ¶££*~-,...
.¨¨.«^&@@@ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked @@@&^«.¨¨.
..-»†@#£## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##£#@†»-..
,,-:@##### roughly seven centimeters long. it's #####@:-,,
.,~=\£¤£## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ##£¤£\=~,.
,...«†%&@# #@&%†«...,
,¨.¨,~\*&@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @&*\~,¨.¨,
.¨,¨¨^-;@§ particle board for it to dry on, but §@;-^¨¨,¨.
..,¨,»*£&# she is worried and wants me to #&£*»,¨,..
¨..~-†%&## throw it away. ##&%†-~..¨
¨¨-«=&@@@# #@@@&=«-¨¨
,--/££@### ###@££/--,
.,.«\@@£## ##£@@\«.,.
.¨.:-†¤¤£# #£¤¤†-:.¨.
¨.,.,~/¤#£ £#¤/~,.,.¨
,.¨,¨,=\$& &$\=,¨,¨.,