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