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