###@@§†»^. .^»†§@@###
##@&%§/=:, ,:=/§%&@##
#§%\/,,,¨¨ ¨¨,,,/\%§#
#£@*::,.¨. .¨.,::*@£#
#£¤§^\~-,¨ ¨,-~\^§¤£#
##@§£^/=^, 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 ¨,.,.=$££#
&%/=,,¨,., particle board for it to dry on, but ,.,¨,,=/%&
@£^^«¨.,¨, she is worried and wants me to ,¨,.¨«^^£@
###£&*==:. throw it away. .:==*&£###
#@#¤$%;-,, ,,-;%$¤#@#
#@##%^:«,. .,«:^%##@#
#%$==.¨¨¨, ,¨¨¨.==$%#
###£@%*--¨ ¨--*%@£###
@*\,.¨¨..¨ ¨..¨¨.,\*@
##£%=»~,,, ,,,~»=%£##