,,¨,»/†£## ##£†/»,¨,,
,.¨,.~\§§£ £§§\~.,¨.,
¨,,¨¨~=/^£ £^/=~¨¨,,¨
¨,.¨:=\^¤§ §¤^\=:¨.,¨
¨¨¨:-=§%§# #§%§=-:¨¨¨
,,.=\§*&@# 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 ##@&£$=~,,
..:»;%%&¶@ she is worried and wants me to @¶&%%;»:..
¨,,-«:†£&# throw it away. #&£†:«-,,¨
,¨¨,^-^$%£ £%$^-^,¨¨,
..¨.¨~~:$§ §$:~~¨.¨..
.,¨,~~;**§ §**;~~,¨,.
..¨~=†*¤¤£ £¤¤*†=~¨..
..-»^*@#@# #@#@*^»-..
,~«/=$&@@# #@@&$=/«~,