,.~;^$#£@# #@£#$^;~.,
,^~†$$@### ###@$$†~^,
¨.~\=¤@### ###@¤=\~.¨
¨-~;%¤$@%¤ ¤%@$¤%;~-¨
,.=/=¤£@@# #@@£¤=/=.,
¨.,~†^%$@@ statuette @@$%^†~,.¨
,.«~»$§**§ §**§$»~«.,
¨,¨,.~=§@# £&$$&*&£@¤%¤%@@%~~-~=~~»$%¤&£$@$¤§£$£§££ #@§=~.,¨,¨
,,~**%&£## £@£%£§¤%£ ##£&%**~,,
¨,,--,»^¤# #¤^»,--,,¨
,:«~-$@¤@@ forests around my childhood home. thick @@¤@$-~«:,
,¨-,=$=£¶# pine arcades that were planted and #¶£=$=,-¨,
.,=;*@@##¶ forgotten. wild boars roaming ¶##@@*;=,.
,.,,.-^$£@ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it @£$^-.,,.,
¨~=†%%@@## is dark and moist, the canopy having ##@@%%†=~¨
,..=-:§*%£ already soaked up all the sun. £%*§:-=..,
.:«:*%&£¤@ @¤£&%*:«:.
,^»:%&£@## there's a river passing by, from east ##@£&%:»^,
,,~=%§§@£@ to west, getting broader and deeper and @£@§§%=~,,
.¨,¨¨.,^¤¶ slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ¶¤^,.¨¨,¨.
,-»\%&§¶## where the pine hands start to let ##¶§&%\»-,
¨^»^**@@## through light, horsemint on the rocky ##@@**^»^¨
¨..,¨.~:*£ river bed. £*:~.¨,..¨
,,«†*¤&##@ @##&¤*†«,,
¨-«=%@&### : ###&@%=«-¨
¨,-†*$££@# #@££$*†-,¨
.,~*$££### the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ###££$*~,.
,.»*^£§£## they had been a swampworld with sylvan ##£§£^*».,
,--/*&##@# water, stone rings and floating moss. #@##&*/--,
¨~»=†££### you could've found me wallowing around ###££†=»~¨
.,¨¨«;¤&¶@ on the southern shores until i got @¶&¤;«¨¨,.
¨,~^*&%$## bitten. ##$%&*^~,¨
,.-*$%@¶## ##¶@%$*-.,
,¨,,.,«=£# but now i'm further back, on solid #£=«,.,,¨,
¨¨¨¨,,~\§@ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an @§\~,,¨¨¨¨
¨--\†*£@## orange tin radio and a translucent ##@£*†\--¨
,¨.¨~,,~†§ umbrella which i'm sitting on. §†~,,~¨.¨,
,..,:;:*#@ @#*:;:,..,
,:~^*£§£@# * #@£§£*^~:,
¨,,,=;%£&¤ ¤&£%;=,,,¨
,:«=*$£¤&§ somethings moving in the grass. it's §&¤£$*=«:,
.-~-»;*§@# invisible to my eyes but i can feel #@§*;»-~-.
,:~=§%@£## through the ground just how large it is. ##£@%§=~:,
¨^~†/%$$¤£ £¤$$%/†~^¨
:«†%@££### the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ###££@%†«:
¨:»/$£@@@# to get up, still looking at the #@@@£$/»:¨
¨¨¨¨¨,=$§# direction of sound rather than at my #§$=,¨¨¨¨¨
¨.,.¨~^¤§@ hands, who are busy putting things in @§¤^~¨.,.¨
.¨~:-\^§£¶ my pockets. ¶£§^\-:~¨.
,.,.=»%¤£# #£¤%»=.,.,
,-~=*%#### then i run east toward my home. ####%*=~-,
,,»†%$&@## ##@&$%†»,,
,.-^%*@### ; ###@*%^-.,
¨.¨.,«/%†£ £†%/«,.¨.¨
.¨~-«\=¤§# i am not followed, and slow down in the #§¤=\«-~¨.
,:»†%§&¶## clearing where you at first can spot ##¶&§%†»:,
.^«;†$£&£@ the house, not yet really in the @£&£$†;«^.
..»=$£#### backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ####£$=»..
¨.¨^^=*%@# radio (now dented) but also a small #@%*=^^¨.¨
.-»*%¤¤¶## clay figure i've never seen before. it ##¶¤¤%*»-.
,,¨:~»»~$£ must have been laying in the wet dirt, £$~»»~:¨,,
¨.»\%@§&@@ and i must've picked it up with my @@&§@%\».¨
,¨,~^/$$#¶ 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. @#@&&%/~,,
..~\§&¤£## ##£¤&§\~..
¨¨,~:%@¤%§ §%¤@%:~,¨¨
¨,-/%£$¤££ ££¤$£%/-,¨
¨.~\^¤£### ###£¤^\~.¨
.,»^%$@£## ##£@$%^»,.
.¨,.-=*%#£ £#%*=-.,¨.