,.,.«»\&$@ @$&\»«.,.,
,,»**£@#@# #@#@£**»,,
¨¨,,~-;*%& &%*;-~,,¨¨
,,.,,,~=$§ §$=~,,,.,,
¨~»^=/££$¶ ¶$££/=^»~¨
,,»†=$#¶## statuette ##¶#$=†»,,
¨..¨~^^*$@ @$*^^~¨..¨
¨¨:,,=*£@¤ $§@$$&$£%¤$@@$§§»=«-«-~-£%$*£%£§$&££%$£$ ¤@£*=,,:¨¨
.,«/%§#¶@# %¤££¤£%@§ #@¶#§%/«,.
¨,.,~»$$*£ £*$$»~,.,¨
¨-«=†%£@## forests around my childhood home. thick ##@£%†=«-¨
.~==†¤§£@# pine arcades that were planted and #@£§¤†==~.
.,-;^§¤¶## forgotten. wild boars roaming ##¶¤§^;-,.
.:~/;=††$@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @$††=;/~:.
¨~=^*=§£&¤ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¤&£§=*^=~¨
¨,=†*£@@#@ already soaked up all the sun. @#@@£*†=,¨
.,=^†¤§@@# #@@§¤†^=,.
¨:=*$$^&£¶ 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. #@¶£¤††~,,
.-«^%$¤@## ##@¤$%^«-.
¨-«^$@£§@¤ ¤@§£@$^«-¨
¨:-:$@§@@# #@@§@$:-:¨
¨^=^%%§¶## ##¶§%%^=^¨
,^~/^&@### ###@&^/~^,
.-«/*%#§@# #@§#%*/«-.