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