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