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