¨~~*^$#@## ##@#$^*~~¨
..,~~†\%@@ @@%\†~~,..
¨,¨.¨,*$&£ £&$*,¨.¨,¨
..»\^%&@@# #@@&%^\»..
¨,.¨¨:./$£ £$/.:¨¨.,¨
,¨.¨¨=^*§# 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. @@#¤*$;-^.
..¨,¨-/*&@ @&*/-¨,¨..
¨,~;=§¤### my mom is here now. i ask her for some ###¤§=;~,¨
¨,,:-%§%§# particle board for it to dry on, but #§%§%-:,,¨
¨.,,,:^%¤§ she is worried and wants me to §¤%^:,,,.¨
.,-*=£#### throw it away. ####£=*-,.
...,.,^@¤# #¤@^,.,...
..~==@&£## ##£&@==~..
.,.««%%¤@# #@¤%%««.,.
,,~=**@@## ##@@**=~,,
¨^~==§£#¶# #¶#£§==~^¨
.~~=^$£¶## ##¶£$^=~~.