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