¨^»;§£@@## ##@@£§;»^¨
¨:=/§&@@## ##@@&§/=:¨
,=/$&#¶### ###¶#&$/=,
.,»/%$#¶££ ££¶#$%/»,.
.-=\%&¤### ###¤&%\=-.
¨,....-^@& 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 ###@%†/~:,
.^~†%$§### throw it away. ###§$%†~^.
¨¨,,=:$¤¤@ @¤¤$:=,,¨¨
,¨-~^††§#@ @#§††^~-¨,
,^~†%%£¶## ##¶£%%†~^,
,¨.,=~†%%¤ ¤%%†~=,.¨,
.¨¨:=†%%§# #§%%†=:¨¨.
.¨,¨,,»%#& &#%»,,¨,¨.