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