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