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