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