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