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