,,=;%%£@## ##@£%%;=,,
.^»\*£@£## ##£@£*\»^.
.:~†$$$§£@ @£§$$$†~:.
..»†§&£### ###£&§†»..
¨^-/=@¤£## ##£¤@=/-^¨
¨-~\†$#£@# statuette #@£#$†\~-¨
.¨,:*%%#¤# #¤#%%*:,¨.
¨.:§%@@### £¤¤£&§%@¤$%$&£¤£-=~-=~»-%£*$£$$&&@$%£§&& ###@@%§:.¨
¨^~*†§&¶## $*§&@*£&% ##¶&§†*~^¨
¨¨..-/&¤£@ @£¤&/-..¨¨
,,«^%%##@# forests around my childhood home. thick #@##%%^«,,
¨,»\=†£@£¤ pine arcades that were planted and ¤£@£†=\»,¨
..-†*%*&&@ forgotten. wild boars roaming @&&*%*†-..
.,==*£@### underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ###@£*==,.
¨:-=$&&¶#@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @#¶&&$=-:¨
¨,~*%$££## already soaked up all the sun. ##££$%*~,¨
,~«†%£§#@# #@#§£%†«~,
.,-;*%@§#@ there's a river passing by, from east @#§@%*;-,.
.:-^*&&@#@ to west, getting broader and deeper and @#@&&*^-:.
,,~-*=^&§@ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just @§&^=*-~,,
¨^~;*§#£@# where the pine hands start to let #@£#§*;~^¨
¨^~*$$&### 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. #@#§%§*»-¨
¨,=-:\%*£# #£*%\:-=,¨
.-»\%%§@## ##@§%%\»-.
.^-;*§&¶£# #£¶&§*;-^.
,:~/§¤#### ####¤§/~:,
,,»/%££@@# #@@££%/»,,
¨,»:†&%$#@ @#$%&†:»,¨