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