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