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