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