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