.¨,,-%@%£# #£%@%-,,¨.
.,¨,¨,»%#¶ ¶#%»,¨,¨,.
,~»/%@¤### ###¤@%/»~,
.~~»~~^%§& &§%^~~»~~.
..¨~=«*@££ ££@*«=~¨..
,.,¨.,~:££ 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. ##@@¤%^~~.
,-~\=£¤@@# #@@¤£=\~-,
,¨.~~*§%&§ §&%§*~~.¨,
¨.~:*£@@@# #@@@£*:~.¨
¨¨.¨,,-*££ ££*-,,¨.¨¨
,,¨,¨¨~*¤# #¤*~¨¨,¨,,
,.=*=¤§§## ##§§¤=*=.,