,..,¨=§%$# #$%§=¨,..,
.~-†%%@@## ##@@%%†-~.
..¨.»*=#&# #&#=*».¨..
¨~~/§*£@## ##@£*§/~~¨
.~-\†%§@@# #@@§%†\-~.
,,-=*@¤@@# 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 #@#&%$\»:¨
¨¨,.¨-:=§# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #§=:-¨.,¨¨
¨,,=†*=¤§@ @§¤=*†=,,¨
¨:~\%@¤@## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##@¤@%\~:¨
¨:-\%%#@## particle board for it to dry on, but ##@#%%\-:¨
,¨.~««†#&@ she is worried and wants me to @&#†««~.¨,
,¨,¨.,::&@ throw it away. @&::,.¨,¨,
¨.«\§%§@@@ @@@§%§\«.¨
,--:*$£@## ##@£$*:--,
,,«^$¤§@## ##@§¤$^«,,
.~=^**#£## ##£#**^=~.
¨.~††$§£@# #@£§$††~.¨
.¨,,.:=*$¶ ¶$*=:.,,¨.