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