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