.¨¨.,,~=*§ §*=~,,.¨¨.
,..~^:=/§£ £§/=:^~..,
,.»^^¤#@@# #@@#¤^^».,
¨:«**^§§¶¶ ¶¶§§^**«:¨
.,=^%&&¤@# #@¤&&%^=,.
¨..,,./=%¤ 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 #$$**§*»,,
.-«:%%#@@# clay figure i've never seen before. it #@@#%%:«-.
.,.¨.»%£&# must have been laying in the wet dirt, #&£%».¨.,.
¨-=;$*§#@# and i must've picked it up with my #@#§*$;=-¨
¨--*%£¤£## other belongings. ##£¤£%*--¨
.,~;†%@#@# #@#@%†;~,.
¨~=;§£@@@# it's a statuette of a girl laying naked #@@@£§;=~¨
,,¨-^:^^£# on her stomach, feet in the air, #£^^:^-¨,,
.^~.^.†$@# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #@$†.^.~^.
.--†=£§@@# freshly made, not yet completely dried. #@@§£=†--.
.^-,,*;££# #££;*,,-^.
¨:=/=*%£@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@£%*=/=:¨
.:=»==*&@# particle board for it to dry on, but #@&*==»=:.
¨^=^$££¤&@ she is worried and wants me to @&¤££$^=^¨
¨,~:†§£@## throw it away. ##@£§†:~,¨
¨,~==%¤§@# #@§¤%==~,¨
,¨..,=\^$# #$^\=,..¨,
.~-*%£#££@ @££#£%*-~.
,¨,:/§=%$@ @$%=§/:,¨,
,-==$$§¤£¶ ¶£¤§$$==-,
.~~††&£### ###£&††~~.