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