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