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