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