.-»;=§@@## ##@@§=;»-.
,,»==%¤¶#@ @#¶¤%==»,,
¨,.,:%§$§& &§$§%:,.,¨
.~«^%$&£@# #@£&$%^«~.
,.~=$#@@## ##@@#$=~.,
¨^-\^%¤¶## 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 ##¶£$*;=,¨
.,,.,¨~=*# she is worried and wants me to #*=~¨,.,,.
,:~/§£@£## throw it away. ##£@£§/~:,
,,»^%&£¶## ##¶£&%^»,,
,.¨.¨^~:§@ @§:~^¨.¨.,
¨,»/^*@£## ##£@*^/»,¨
¨,¨»~%*§$§ §$§*%~»¨,¨
¨,~;%@£@££ ££@£@%;~,¨
¨..~=:%£%# #%£%:=~..¨