,.-:$§¤@## ##@¤§$:-.,
,:~†%@¶### ###¶@%†~:,
.~-\$$£@@# #@@£$$\-~.
..==**¤£## ##£¤**==..
.:»:†$£@## ##@£$†:»:.
,,.,,,~§†¤ statuette ¤†§~,,,.,,
,,»\*£## ##£#&*\»,,
.,~;^$£@## §§@££¤%§%%£$&@§*=~~»««=»£££££*%%¤&%¤§£@$ ##@£$^;~,.
.,~;%££@## ¤£@¤¤§%*£ ##@££%;~,.
¨,,..-=$@# #@$=-..,,¨
.^=:§§¤### forests around my childhood home. thick ###¤§§:=^.
,¨,¨-=%$†§ pine arcades that were planted and §†$%=-¨,¨,
.¨.«=~%%%@ forgotten. wild boars roaming @%%%~=«.¨.
,«;§¤#@### underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ###@#¤§;«,
.,..¨~%*¤# is dark and moist, the canopy having #¤*%~¨..,.
¨^«*^$£§@# already soaked up all the sun. #@§£$^*«^¨
.,~\%§@@## ##@@§%\~,.
,~»:*§## there's a river passing by, from east ###&§*:»~,
¨:~*^%£@## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##@£%^*~:¨
.-~*=*@£@# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #@£@*=*~-.
.:=;*%%#£@ where the pine hands start to let @£#%%*;=:.
.~~:†£££@# through light, horsemint on the rocky #@£££†:~~.
,,¨.-«*@&@ river bed. @&@*«-.¨,,
.-~=*£#& #&£*=~-.
,:»/*¶## † ##¶#&*/»:,
,~»**£§#£# #£#§£**»~,
,¨¨,^«-†¤£ the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight £¤†-«^,¨¨,
¨-~/§$£¶## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##¶£$§/~-¨
,~~*%*@# water, stone rings and floating moss. #@#&*%*~~,
¨¨¨.~$&%¤§ you could've found me wallowing around §¤%&$~.¨¨¨
,,¨¨~:¤#¶£ on the southern shores until i got £¶#¤:~¨¨,,
¨..¨:†$$§# 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. @#§«~.¨,.,
,¨.¨¨¨^*$@ @$*^¨¨¨.¨,
.¨,^==$†*¶ ¶*†$==^,¨.
¨~:~:;*# ##&*;:~:~¨
¨~«;†§¶# #¶#&§†;«~¨
¨~-*%&£@£@ @£@£&%*-~¨
,¨,¨..-$£@ @£$-..¨,¨,