,.=\*&£@@# #@@£&*\=.,
¨.:~†%@¤@# #@¤@%†~:.¨
¨..-«:†§@# #@§†:«-..¨
,¨:=\$$¤## ##¤$$\=:¨,
.:-/$$#@## ##@#$$/-:.
,.^»/*%§## 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. @#¤&$^=,,.
,.-;*$&@## ##@&$*;-.,
.,,»^*%§@@ my mom is here now. i ask her for some @@§%*^»,,.
.¨.~»/†££¶ particle board for it to dry on, but ¶££†/»~.¨.
¨¨-~:§%¤@# she is worried and wants me to #@¤%§:~-¨¨
,^-;%@@@## throw it away. ##@@@%;-^,
,,,»/*@£@# #@£@*/»,,,
.¨¨^«;§¤#¶ ¶#¤§;«^¨¨.
.¨,-\^%@£@ @£@%^\-,¨.
.~~;§%&@## ##@&%§;~~.
,¨.«*$¤#@# #@#¤$*«.¨,
.,,~-:†@£@ @£@†:-~,,.