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