¨^«^%£#### ####£%^«^¨
¨.«:*&¤#@# #@#¤&*:«.¨
,:=*††;$§§ §§$;††*=:,
¨^«:§%£#@# #@#£%§:«^¨
,-=†§$&@## ##@&$§†=-,
.,-=*$£@## statuette ##@£$*=-,.
¨.,.^;$£&@ @&£$;^.,.¨
¨.«†§£¶### %%%$$££¤%££$££§@«~~-~«-~$£$§£&@§$£$£*¤$% ###¶£§†«.¨
,¨¨,,,†§*# @$$££&£$¤ #*§†,,,¨¨,
,:»=*%¤£## ##£¤%*=»:,
,-«*§$¤@## 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 @###§*;~^,
¨¨¨^=»=$¶# throw it away. #¶$=»=^¨¨¨
¨,.¨:;†%@@ @@%†;:¨.,¨
.^«;$%#@@# #@@#%$;«^.
.^-:§&¤¶## ##¶¤&§:-^.
,-=/=$£$££ ££$£$=/=-,
..,.^«†=§¶ ¶§=†«^.,..
,~~†^¤#£££ £££#¤^†~~,