¨,~\*§#¶## ##¶#§*\~,¨
,-~†%@#@@# #@@#@%†~-,
,.¨-,,,†§£ £§†,,,-¨.,
¨.,,,,»*£# #£*»,,,,.¨
¨¨¨¨-/*^¤# #¤^*/-¨¨¨¨
¨,-=$&£@@# statuette #@@£&$=-,¨
.-~:†££§@# #@§££†:~-.
.:~;$§#§§# ¤%¤%*@£%***§&%¤£»«»»~=««&$$%£¤£@$%&&$£&* #§§#§$;~:.
¨~«^=¤¤£@# *§%@£§%*¤ #@£¤¤=^«~¨
,.«†^*£@@# #@@£*^†«.,
¨,.,¨,~/%£ forests around my childhood home. thick £%/~,¨,.,¨
,,.«-;\†@@ pine arcades that were planted and @@†\;-«.,,
.-»/*&&@## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##@&&*/»-.
¨¨..\=§£¤# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #¤£§=\..¨¨
.^~==$§@## is dark and moist, the canopy having ##@§$==~^.
¨~~:§§@### already soaked up all the sun. ###@§§:~~¨
.,,.,«§$&¤ ¤&$§«,.,,.
..»\%*##@# there's a river passing by, from east #@##*%\»..
¨,,,-»;%$# to west, getting broader and deeper and #$%;»-,,,¨
.,,,.~=$@# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #@$=~.,,,.
,^~††$§@@# where the pine hands start to let #@@§$††~^,
¨¨¨.¨,~^†# through light, horsemint on the rocky #†^~,¨.¨¨¨
¨:»/†#@### river bed. ###@#†/»:¨
¨,,,¨^=^## ##^=^¨,,,¨
,¨.^*=%£&# ; #&£%=*^.¨,
,,~^*&£### ###£&*^~,,
.=/=*¤¶@## the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ##@¶¤*=/=.
¨¨¨^-~»*§@ they had been a swampworld with sylvan @§*»~-^¨¨¨
.,¨¨:-*¤¶@ water, stone rings and floating moss. @¶¤*-:¨¨,.
¨:~*†$#&&@ you could've found me wallowing around @&&#$†*~:¨
.-«;%£&@#@ on the southern shores until i got @#@&£%;«-.
,,,.¨-/=%¤ bitten. ¤%=/-¨.,,,
¨,«=«*†¤#§ §#¤†*«=«,¨
¨.=*†@&¤§# but now i'm further back, on solid #§¤&@†*=.¨
..-:,./=§§ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an §§=/.,:-..
¨:=/*%£### orange tin radio and a translucent ###£%*/=:¨
..»*;=$£§§ umbrella which i'm sitting on. §§£$=;*»..
.,-^**#¶## ##¶#**^-,.
.~~^†£¤@## \ ##@¤£†^~~.
,.¨.¨=\££§ §££\=¨.¨.,
¨,.,,«-/*& somethings moving in the grass. it's &*/-«,,.,¨
¨,=/*££##@ invisible to my eyes but i can feel @##££*/=,¨
¨:~^%§&¶## through the ground just how large it is. ##¶&§%^~:¨
..~*$#@### ###@#$*~..
.¨.¨¨~§#£# the soil is muddy. i slip when trying #£#§~¨¨.¨.
,,~^$$#@## 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 @@@$=,,.,¨
,-~*=¤§### particle board for it to dry on, but ###§¤=*~-,
.~»/^¤£### she is worried and wants me to ###£¤^/»~.
¨,~\*@@¶## throw it away. ##¶@@*\~,¨
.,.^^^†^%@ @%^†^^^.,.
.^=^=§§### ###§§=^=^.
,-==†££### ###££†==-,
.-«†§$&@## ##@&$§†«-.
,~»/†%%%$§ §$%%%†/»~,
.¨..,¨»*%@ @%*»¨,..¨.