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