###@£^\»^. .^»\^£@###
###§*/~~,. .,~~/*§###
@¶&*=~~¨¨. .¨¨~~=*&¶@
@&*\~~,.,. .,.,~~\*&@
#@¤$\=.,¨, ,¨,.=\$¤@#
####%/--.. statuette ..--/%####
#####*;»^, ,^»;*#####
##£#^^~.¨¨ &%%*$£@¤¤*%§§%§£»=~-»~~~*&§@$@§**$$£*§$& ¨¨.~^^#£##
##¤$/»:¨¨. $$*%¤§££% .¨¨:»/$¤##
@&=^»,¨,,, ,,,¨,»^=&@
@£&=:»,,.¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨.,,»:=&£@
#@¶#%*«:,¨ pine arcades that were planted and ¨,:«*%#¶@#
###£§*=«., forgotten. wild boars roaming ,.«=*§£###
#@#§=\~~¨¨ underneath, sniffing at the ground. it ¨¨~~\=§#@#
#¶¤†:»,¨,, is dark and moist, the canopy having ,,¨,»:†¤¶#
#£†=~~¨¨.. already soaked up all the sun. ..¨¨~~=†£#
##§^==:.,, ,,.:==^§##
##@§%:-.¨¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨¨.-:%§@##
####&§*--. to west, getting broader and deeper and .--*§&####
###&%*«^.. slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ..^«*%&###
@#£%=~^,¨¨ where the pine hands start to let ¨¨,^~=%£#@
@#=;~,,¨,. through light, horsemint on the rocky .,¨,,~;=#@
#@§†\~~,., river bed. ,.,~~\†§@#
##£¤§=-^,. .,^-=§¤£##
##@#¤%^»,¨ * ¨,»^%¤#@##
##@§^:».¨, ,¨.»:^§@##
##§=;~:¨¨, the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ,¨¨:~;=§##
#&§\»,¨¨¨, they had been a swampworld with sylvan ,¨¨¨,»\§&#
##£§/-.¨,. water, stone rings and floating moss. .,¨.-/§£##
#@@#*:-:.. you could've found me wallowing around ..:-:*#@@#
##@@¤*;-., on the southern shores until i got ,.-;*¤@@##
##££^=«-,, bitten. ,,-«=^££##
#¶@$\~~,,¨ ¨,,~~\$@¶#
@§=†»,..., 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. .--†%¤@@##
###§*=~.¨, ,¨.~=*§###
##§$/~-¨¨, ,¨¨-~/$§##
¶£*†»:,.¨. .¨.,:»†*£¶
#@@§==,¨,¨ ¨,¨,==§@@#
##£@*†«,,¨ ¨,,«†*@£##
####&%\~^. .^~\%&####