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