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