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