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