¨:»^$*&### ###&*$^»:¨
,,,«:%¤#£# #£#¤%:«,,,
,¨.~«^=£#£ £#£=^«~.¨,
¨,^~†%¤£¶# #¶£¤%†~^,¨
¨-=/†¤£¶@# #@¶£¤†/=-¨
,¨^~†*$¤@@ statuette @@¤$*†~^¨,
.,,.-;*§£@ @£§*;-.,,.
¨¨,«=§£#£@ %§%@%$*$¤%$&$§&§»=»~»~~=¤£¤£*$@%$@%%§§&£ @£#£§=«,¨¨
.,~/*@@#@# %@@&¤%%$* #@#@@*/~,.
,.^~:†&&@# #@&&†:~^.,
¨.¨~«=*£¤@ forests around my childhood home. thick @¤£*=«~¨.¨
¨¨,»†%&@¶# pine arcades that were planted and #¶@&%†»,¨¨
¨:~^%%¤@@# forgotten. wild boars roaming #@@¤%%^~:¨
,,-~*%£#£# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #£#£%*~-,,
..¨-«†=£§# is dark and moist, the canopy having #§£=†«-¨..
¨.~»*=%@£@ already soaked up all the sun. @£@%=*»~.¨
¨-»\†$#### ####$†\»-¨
¨¨-»^†%£¶# there's a river passing by, from east #¶£%†^»-¨¨
¨,¨:«/§£## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##£§/«:¨,¨
.,:-^*@@£# slower as it goes. equisetum grow just #£@@*^-:,.
,--††¤§@@# where the pine hands start to let #@@§¤††--,
.,,»/*&¤## through light, horsemint on the rocky ##¤&*/»,,.
¨,¨,»\§£¤£ river bed. £¤£§\»,¨,¨
,,.=\^%¤## ##¤%^\=.,,
,.»=*§@¶## \ ##¶@§*=».,
,¨,»;$%@£@ @£@%$;»,¨,
¨..~«^$$§# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #§$$^«~..¨
¨,:~\*%§## 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 #@&¤§^»,¨.
¨:«*$%£#@# throw it away. #@#£%$*«:¨
.¨~«=**&#@ @#&**=«~¨.
.,¨:-==§#@ @#§==-:¨,.
..,~/$$£@# #@£$$/~,..
,.=/%%&@## ##@&%%/=.,
..^~:=*£@@ @@£*=:~^..
,¨.-«;^§## ##§^;«-.¨,