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