¨~~\$%§### ###§%$\~~¨
.,¨.¨.«†&& &&†«.¨.¨,.
¨,~^$§#@## ##@#§$^~,¨
¨¨,¨¨^-†§& &§†-^¨¨,¨¨
..,,«*%&@@ @@&%*«,,..
¨,=/†$§##¶ 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. £¤$$;~,¨¨¨
.,~^**§### you could've found me wallowing around ###§**^~,.
¨,~%%¤@### on the southern shores until i got ###@¤%%~,¨
¨.~/%%¤@## bitten. ##@¤%%/~.¨
¨^~~/*¤£*£ £*£¤*/~~^¨
¨.,.:«†%@# but now i'm further back, on solid #@%†«:.,.¨
,,=«^†%§£# ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an #£§%†^«=,,
,~«:*$¤£@# orange tin radio and a translucent #@£¤$*:«~,
¨.,..-=§*@ umbrella which i'm sitting on. @*§=-..,.¨
,~~;%§¤¶## ##¶¤§%;~~,
,,=/$$@£## \ ##£@$$/=,,
¨:~^%$£@## ##@£$%^~:¨
¨.~/=@£@## somethings moving in the grass. it's ##@£@=/~.¨
¨,,¨^=$#&# invisible to my eyes but i can feel #&#$=^¨,,¨
,.,.,.~\%@ through the ground just how large it is. @%\~.,.,.,
.~=\$@&@@£ £@@&@$\=~.
¨¨.^.-«†$@ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying @$†«-.^.¨¨
¨^-/$¤#### to get up, still looking at the ####¤$/-^¨
¨:~;=£¤### direction of sound rather than at my ###¤£=;~:¨
,:~^†$&£## hands, who are busy putting things in ##£&$†^~:,
¨.,¨.»%&@@ my pockets. @@&%».¨,.¨
¨-=;@£¶### ###¶£@;=-¨
.~«^§£##¶@ then i run east toward my home. @¶##£§^«~.
.:=;$%@@## ##@@%$;=:.
.:-\%*@@## / ##@@*%\-:.
.,«;*@&£@# #@£&@*;«,.
.,~*^§&£## i am not followed, and slow down in the ##£&§^*~,.
,:=:^£&¶## clearing where you at first can spot ##¶&£^:=:,
,.-.::†^$# the house, not yet really in the #$^†::.-.,
,,,.,,»~§¤ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¤§~»,,.,,,
¨,»;*%#£## radio (now dented) but also a small ##£#%*;»,¨
¨¨..==%§§# clay figure i've never seen before. it #§§%==..¨¨
¨~~»~=»%££ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ££%»=~»~~¨
,,»;$%%&§& and i must've picked it up with my &§&%%$;»,,
.¨¨-†^$*¤£ other belongings. £¤*$^†-¨¨.
¨,.,.,.-*§ §*-.,.,.,¨
,,^,,»\§&# it's a statuette of a girl laying naked #&§\»,,^,,
¨:«:†%$§¶@ on her stomach, feet in the air, @¶§$%†:«:¨
,,~*§£¤### roughly seven centimeters long. it's ###¤£§*~,,
..¨,-;*%¤# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #¤%*;-,¨..
.,,¨..=/¤£ £¤/=..¨,,.
.-=*†£§### my mom is here now. i ask her for some ###§£†*=-.
,,«^\\**=§ particle board for it to dry on, but §=**\\^«,,
¨.-;§&££@# she is worried and wants me to #@££&§;-.¨
..=\^@¤£## throw it away. ##£¤@^\=..
.^~;^%#£## ##£#%^;~^.
.,,«:†%&¤# #¤&%†:«,,.
.:»=*&£@@# #@@£&*=»:.
¨,«*$££### ###££$*«,¨
.~«:$$#### ####$$:«~.
.,~;*$§@@# #@@§$*;~,.