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