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