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