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