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