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