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