¨~-:%£§@## ##@§£%:-~¨
,.,,,-~\$# #$\~-,,,.,
¨,-;%§@### ###@§%;-,¨
,,¨,,«†=§£ £§=†«,,¨,,
¨.¨,,.,†¤# #¤†,.,,¨.¨
,.»;%@#¶## statuette ##¶#@%;».,
¨.,=:=†&¤§ §¤&†=:=,.¨
¨,,.,^§$£# £*£$$&*$&¤@§$£@*--=~~«~~$£$¤%¤§$*%*&@£$% #£$§^,.,,¨
¨,»==%¶### @%¤*¤&**% ###¶%==»,¨
¨-»*^*§@@# #@@§*^*»-¨
,.,¨~~%¤§@ forests around my childhood home. thick @§¤%~~¨,.,
.,.,.-;/@& pine arcades that were planted and &@/;-.,.,.
..,~«^$£§£ 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 ###&¤$/~-.
,~«\§*§§@# she is worried and wants me to #@§§*§\«~,
,^~:=§## throw it away. ###&§=:~^,
,,~/*@£¶## ##¶£@*/~,,
,,»\*@£### ###£@*\»,,
.,-=^%@#@# #@#@%^=-,.
.,=/%$£### ###£$%/=,.
¨¨¨,,.-/*¤ ¤*/-.,,¨¨¨
¨,-/%&## ###&&%/-,¨