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