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