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