,,=:†@¤@## ##@¤@†:=,,
.,.¨.»\††¤ ¤††\».¨.,.
,~~=*%£### ###£%*=~~,
..-;^$¤### ###¤$^;-..
,,¨¨:«†=%# #%=†«:¨¨,,
,,~\%§¤#£@ 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 &$*\,¨¨¨.¨
.,=«;;¤¤£@ particle board for it to dry on, but @£¤¤;;«=,.
¨,,.~**£¤§ she is worried and wants me to §¤£**~.,,¨
,^»;§£¤### throw it away. ###¤£§;»^,
¨,«\**&£## ##£&**\«,¨
.,=†^$¤@## ##@¤$^†=,.
,,.,^~§§## ##§§~^,.,,
¨¨,.-:=†&# #&†=:-.,¨¨
,,.-«†*@§£ £§@*†«-.,,
¨~~:^§¤£## ##£¤§^:~~¨