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