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