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