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