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