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