¨,~*=*¤#@# #@#¤*=*~,¨
.,»\%%#### ####%%\»,.
,-«;%$§§#@ @#§§$%;«-,
,¨.,~«^§§# #§§^«~,.¨,
¨.,.¨~§%## ##%§~¨.,.¨
,^=;$&§@## statuette ##@§&$;=^,
,~=\%£££## ##£££%\=~,
¨~-:†£¤@## $$£%$$*&£$§%&¤@&==~~»»~-%£%$£§£%£*§§£&£¤ ##@¤£†:-~¨
.^»:*£&### ¤&*$§£$%@ ###&£*:»^.
,,»*%$##@# #@##$%*»,,
.,=†^$¤@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@¤$^†=,.
.~-=§&¤£#£ 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. #£^-~~~¨,,
¨,~=%§§@## ##@§§%=~,¨
¨¨..=†\=§§ §§=\†=..¨¨
¨¨.~=;/%@@ @@%/;=~.¨¨
...¨,..=¤@ @¤=..,¨...
,¨.¨.~»*§@ @§*»~.¨.¨,
¨..,=»†§## ##§†»=,..¨