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