,:~\^$¤¶## ##¶¤$^\~:,
¨,¨¨,=^£$¤ ¤$£^=,¨¨,¨
.:~\%£@### ###@£%\~:.
¨~»^§%@##@ @##@%§^»~¨
.^-=%££### ###££%=-^.
,,~/$%&### statuette ###&%$/~,,
,...«†*@%@ @%@*†«...,
.,,-~;%*@@ %&£%%$%$$$$£%*§¤=«-«=»»»$%*&%¤£@¤%$¤@&*$ @@*%;~-,,.
,¨,,,~=^#& ££%¤%¤$*& &#^=~,,,¨,
¨.¨,~»=:*§ §*:=»~,¨.¨
.,»\$£#### forests around my childhood home. thick ####£$\»,.
.,»/†%%%@# pine arcades that were planted and #@%%%†/»,.
.:=;$#@### forgotten. wild boars roaming ###@#$;=:.
¨,.¨,.-=$# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #$=-.,¨.,¨
,,¨.¨-/@¤£ is dark and moist, the canopy having £¤@/-¨.¨,,
.¨..~$$§§£ 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 ##@#£§^~-.
,.,,¨¨,^$& she is worried and wants me to &$^,¨¨,,.,
.,.,^:=§$£ throw it away. £$§=:^,.,.
.-»:%&@@## ##@@&%:»-.
¨,,,==@$@@ @@$@==,,,¨
,,~/%&§¶## ##¶§&%/~,,
¨,..,~=^£# #£^=~,..,¨
,:~/%$£### ###£$%/~:,
.~-^$*@#@# #@#@*$^-~.