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