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