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