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