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