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