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