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