¨~~††$§@## ##@§$††~~¨
,¨.»=†§§¶# #¶§§†=».¨,
,,.^-^*¤§@ @§¤*^-^.,,
¨¨~~=$&&## ##&&$=~~¨¨
,:»†%£@@## ##@@£%†»:,
..^«\$%#¶# 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 #&&$/-,¨,.
,,:«^%£¤¶# she is worried and wants me to #¶¤£%^«:,,
.~-;†§§¶## throw it away. ##¶§§†;-~.
,¨,-=$£@@# #@@£$=-,¨,
,,.-»***§@ @§***»-.,,
.,,=^*&&## ##&&*^=,,.
.,=/=@£@## ##@£@=/=,.
,¨,=/^$&¶# #¶&$^/=,¨,
.¨.,~\^$£¶ ¶£$^\~,.¨.