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