,.,*†§¤#@# #@#¤§†*,.,
,,.:^^£&@# #@&£^^:.,,
.¨,¨,†*%£@ @£%*†,¨,¨.
,,..,^:**¤ ¤**:^,..,,
.¨..¨,.:$% %$:.,¨..¨.
.¨¨,¨¨,~/% 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 %$*,..,.¨,
¨¨¨¨.,*†@¤ freshly made, not yet completely dried. ¤@†*,.¨¨¨¨
¨,.,,:†%£@ @£%†:,,.,¨
.¨.^*†&@## my mom is here now. i ask her for some ##@&†*^.¨.
¨¨:†%*&¶## particle board for it to dry on, but ##¶&*%†:¨¨
.~:†¤@£### she is worried and wants me to ###£@¤†:~.
¨.,;*%&¶## throw it away. ##¶&%*;,.¨
.¨,,/§%££# #££%§/,,¨.
¨¨.,:\^$§@ @§$^\:,.¨¨
¨,,,,^:%*# #*%:^,,,,¨
,¨.,..:^*% %*^:..,.¨,
..,,.¨..\% %\..¨.,,..
¨.¨.¨,:/*% %*/:,¨.¨.¨