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