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