¨^=*%%¤### ###¤%%*=^¨
,.-=%£¤### ###¤£%=-.,
,--;*$#££# #££#$*;--,
,-~/^$£@## ##@£$^/~-,
.¨,.«†$$¤@ @¤$$†«.,¨.
,,»^*$#@@# statuette #@@#$*^»,,
¨~~^%$#@## ##@#$%^~~¨
,~»==£§@## §¤%&*£%£@%&%$¤@$«~~~-«~~£££¤%@§££¤%$%%*$ ##@§£==»~,
¨¨,«/^%£¶¶ *¤££¤$$£* ¶¶£%^/«,¨¨
¨:«=†@§@## ##@§@†=«:¨
¨,«\*%#£## forests around my childhood home. thick ##£#%*\«,¨
.^»^†%@### pine arcades that were planted and ###@%†^»^.
..,.»†%&@@ forgotten. wild boars roaming @@&%†».,..
,:=†*$##@# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #@##$*†=:,
¨¨¨..==^*¤ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¤*^==..¨¨¨
.-»;=%&¶@# already soaked up all the sun. #@¶&%=;»-.
¨-»^%$¤¶## ##¶¤$%^»-¨
¨,=^§¤£@¶# there's a river passing by, from east #¶@£¤§^=,¨
,,»\**£### to west, getting broader and deeper and ###£**\»,,
..,.,.-/§£ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just £§/-.,.,..
,,~/%$§£## where the pine hands start to let ##£§$%/~,,
,.«;%%§### through light, horsemint on the rocky ###§%%;«.,
,:-;§¤§#@# river bed. #@#§¤§;-:,
.,»/*#@# #@##&*/»,.
¨,«;$$#@## \ ##@#$$;«,¨
,¨,:;\&§¤# #¤§&\;:,¨,
,,»\*$¤@@# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@@¤$*\»,,
,.,-,~%=£§ 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. @@£#%*^=-¨
.:-/*&%§@# #@§%&*/-:.
..¨¨~:*^¤@ @¤^*:~¨¨..
¨--;$*@£## ##£@*$;--¨
¨,~**$@### ###@$**~,¨
,^-/†$#@## ##@#$†/-^,
,,..«»†¤££ ££¤†»«..,,