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