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