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