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