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