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