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