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