¨^»=%£¶@## ##@¶£%=»^¨
¨.~~^&#£## ##£#&^~~.¨
,,¨.-\$£¶# #¶£$\-.¨,,
.¨..:«†¤## ##¤†«:..¨.
,.¨¨¨^~^¤§ §¤^~^¨¨¨.,
.,...,~-** statuette **-~,...,.
¨..,...:~^ ^~:...,..¨
..,,,,-=†£ ¤£££*¤£@£%&$@$£¤~-«»=~-»%*@*@$$%£¤%$&*%& £†=-,,,,..
¨¨¨,.,»†%§ §%£%£%¤$@ §%†»,.,¨¨¨
¨¨,,.=\@#@ @#@\=.,,¨¨
,,,.=*%§¶# 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 ##&$==:,..
¨.-»^%£¶## she is worried and wants me to ##¶£%^»-.¨
.:~=£#@### throw it away. ###@#£=~:.
,¨~-^$§### ###§$^-~¨,
.,.,»;$@## ##@$;»,.,.
..,¨--:£§¶ ¶§£:--¨,..
¨¨,,,:»\£# #£\»:,,,¨¨
,,.¨,.,~*¤ ¤*~,.,¨.,,
,¨¨..¨¨.»^ ^».¨¨..¨¨,