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