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