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