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