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