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