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