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