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