¨.=\$%§¶## ##¶§%$\=.¨
¨,«:=£@# #@#&£=:«,¨
¨,~†§%^£§# #§£^%§†~,¨
,^~;=§@¶## ##¶@§=;~^,
.-~†*¤@@@# #@@@¤*†~-.
.^»/%&&¶## statuette ##¶&&%/»^.
.^=*%&@¶## ##¶@&%*=^.
¨-~†^%¤@## @£$%$§$§*$$@§$%@=-«=»=~»*@&£§$$%£$£§£*£* ##@¤%^†~-¨
,~«:^£##@# %¤$£$$%$% #@##£^:«~,
,.~†*%§@## ##@§%*†~.,
¨¨,~.=\&¶# forests around my childhood home. thick #¶&\=.~,¨¨
,,¨¨.~«*&@ pine arcades that were planted and @&*«~.¨¨,,
¨,«:*†§@&¶ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¶&@§†*:«,¨
.¨,,,^/*£# underneath, sniffing at the ground. it #£*/^,,,¨.
¨-=*§%@@ is dark and moist, the canopy having @@#&%§*=-¨
.,-*$@#### already soaked up all the sun. ####@$*-,.
¨.~/*§@@@@ @@@@§*/~.¨
¨,«*%$£### there's a river passing by, from east ###£$%*«,¨
..~*§£&@## to west, getting broader and deeper and ##@&£§*~..
¨~=***£@## slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ##@£***=~¨
.,~/=£¤### where the pine hands start to let ###¤£=/~,.
¨~~=*§¤#@@ through light, horsemint on the rocky @@#¤§*=~~¨
¨.-\*£§### river bed. ###§£*\-.¨
,,¨¨.~%&&@ @&&%~.¨¨,,
¨~==†%@@## / ##@@%†==~¨
.¨,¨¨~$=#£ £#=$~¨¨,¨.
.-»;†$¤#@# the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight #@#¤$†;»-.
¨^»:*%¤£@# they had been a swampworld with sylvan #@£¤%*:»^¨
,:~/*£## water, stone rings and floating moss. ###&£*/~:,
¨^~;*@@¶@# you could've found me wallowing around #@¶@@*;~^¨
¨^~\=$@£@# on the southern shores until i got #@£@$=\~^¨
¨:«~~«-*£@ bitten. @£*-«~~«:¨
.,«/††*£%@ @%£*††/«,.
.¨¨,«»$£@@ but now i'm further back, on solid @@£$»«,¨¨.
..«^=¤#£@# ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an #@£#¤=^«..
.:-^*%§@@@ orange tin radio and a translucent @@@§%*^-:.
¨.¨¨,«:%§# umbrella which i'm sitting on. #§%:«,¨¨.¨
¨.~†:=@&@# #@&@=:†~.¨
..=**¤&@@# * #@@&¤**=..
.-=:§£#£## ##£#£§:=-.
.,¨~»%£@#& somethings moving in the grass. it's @£%»~¨,.
.~«^†£&@#@ invisible to my eyes but i can feel @#@&£†^«~.
.-~*%*@### through the ground just how large it is. ###@*%*~-.
.¨,.,»*$$@ @$$*»,.,¨.
..,^†\††@@ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying @@††\†^,..
,~-/%£##§# to get up, still looking at the #§##£%/-~,
¨¨,,¨,«*¤£ direction of sound rather than at my £¤*«,¨,,¨¨
,..,.^~*£§ hands, who are busy putting things in §£*~^.,..,
¨--:%$§@## my pockets. ##@§$%:--¨
¨.,»:†££@# #@££†:»,.¨
..¨¨¨,*%@£ then i run east toward my home. £@%*,¨¨¨..
...¨«~~*§# #§*~~«¨...
¨-«=%£#@@# \ #@@#£%=«-¨
,.--~»^=§@ @§=^»~--.,
¨^«=%£§#@@ i am not followed, and slow down in the @@#§£%=«^¨
¨.~*†§#£## clearing where you at first can spot ##£#§†*~.¨
¨:~/*£#¶## the house, not yet really in the ##¶#£*/~:¨
¨.-\%&£#@# backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my #@#£&%\-.¨
,,»:$¤£¶@# radio (now dented) but also a small #@¶£¤$:»,,
.,.,.~/@§& clay figure i've never seen before. it &§@/~.,.,.
,~~**%§### must have been laying in the wet dirt, ###§%**~~,
,»\†@¤#@## and i must've picked it up with my ##@#¤@†\»,
,.¨,..~%§£ other belongings. £§%~..,¨.,
,¨¨.,-»§#¤ ¤#§»-,.¨¨,
.¨¨=/%=¤ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked #&¤=%/=¨¨.
..¨,¨«\^£¤ on her stomach, feet in the air, ¤£^\«¨,¨..
,,,-./%*$# roughly seven centimeters long. it's #$*%/.-,,,
.-=/%¤¤### freshly made, not yet completely dried. ###¤¤%/=-.
.,-**§§### ###§§**-,.
,:=\**@#@# my mom is here now. i ask her for some #@#@**\=:,
.,.,,,»%@@ particle board for it to dry on, but @@%»,,,.,.
,¨¨,^†=§@§ she is worried and wants me to §@§=†^,¨¨,
,...^«*$$¤ throw it away. ¤$$*«^...,
..,«-;*%£# #£%*;-«,..
.¨.¨.,~*£§ §£*~,.¨.¨.
¨,-\*%¤&§# #§&¤%*\-,¨
¨,~\^£&£#@ @#£&£^\~,¨
¨~~=%%§@@# #@@§%%=~~¨
¨,~†=*££## ##££*=†~,¨