.,~†§*@@£@ @£@@*§†~,.
,,-†%¤#### ####¤%†-,,
.,.~†:=†$@ @$†=:†~.,.
,,~:%¤£¶## ##¶£¤%:~,,
,,-=«^/%%& &%%/^«=-,,
.,~^=%£@## 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 ¶#&$^==-,¨
,^~/%%## freshly made, not yet completely dried. ###&%%/~^,
.¨.,.,:\§§ §§\:,.,.¨.
,¨¨^:\/=^§ my mom is here now. i ask her for some §^=/\:^¨¨,
.^»;^§¤@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@¤§^;»^.
,-«;*&¤### she is worried and wants me to ###¤&*;«-,
.^«†^†%%§£ throw it away. £§%%†^†«^.
,,\§£@@@## ##@@@£§\,,
,.¨,.-*†§£ £§†*-.,¨.,
,¨¨~*\**@@ @@**\*~¨¨,
¨:~;^@¤### ###¤@^;~:¨
.,,¨»*:§@# #@§:*»¨,,.
..-**$@### ###@$**-..