¨,-/^&@### ###@&^/-,¨
¨.~;%£&@@# #@@&£%;~.¨
..¨,,=*†*@ @*†*=,,¨..
..«*^§¤@@# #@@¤§^*«..
..¨¨¨,-§&@ @&§-,¨¨¨..
..,-~»\$¶# 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. @@@£$*;~,,
.-«^=£&### ###&£=^«-.
,,,--;†*@¶ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¶@*†;--,,,
.-»:**£¶## on her stomach, feet in the air, ##¶£**:»-.
,~»**&¤#¶# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #¶#¤&**»~,
¨^~;%*#&&& freshly made, not yet completely dried. &&&#*%;~^¨
.~=\\†$%¤§ §¤%$†\\=~.
,,¨^^§*£## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##£*§^^¨,,
.,,.~=%£§§ particle board for it to dry on, but §§£%=~.,,.
,.,¨,»»:§& she is worried and wants me to &§:»»,¨,.,
.,,»-^*£¤# throw it away. #¤£*^-»,,.
¨~=:*$#¶#@ @#¶#$*:=~¨
¨-«:\:$#@£ £@#$:\:«-¨
¨¨.~\^;§&¶ ¶&§;^\~.¨¨
...=:**^%# #%^**:=...
¨,~:*%#@## ##@#%*:~,¨
¨.,~==$*&@ @&*$==~,.¨