@%=:.,,.,, ,,.,,.:=%@
@$@:/,.,.¨ ¨.,.,/:@$@
#@#§¤*/«-¨ ¨-«/*¤§#@#
#^==~»:,,. .,,:»~==^#
#@#@¤*\~:, ,:~\*¤@#@#
@#¶¤%==»,. 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 ,.,~=:=$$@
@£*†=¨¨¨¨¨ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨¨¨¨¨=†*£@
#%^\\~,¨,¨ orange tin radio and a translucent ¨,¨,~\\^%#
##££§†;-:, umbrella which i'm sitting on. ,:-;†§££##
#@#§§$/~,¨ ¨,~/$§§#@#
@£^*^^.^,. \ .,^.^^*^£@
##@#§¤*~,, ,,~*¤§#@##
#@¶¤%=;~:¨ somethings moving in the grass. it's ¨:~;=%¤¶@#
¤&*%~~-..¨ invisible to my eyes but i can feel ¨..-~~%*&¤
£$/:¨¨¨,¨. through the ground just how large it is. .¨,¨¨¨:/$£
#@@*=.,¨¨, ,¨¨,.=*@@#
####£**~,¨ the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ¨,~**£####
@##¤§$:«,¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨,«:$§¤##@
§¤*~.,,,,, direction of sound rather than at my ,,,,,.~*¤§
&=%»,¨.,,¨ hands, who are busy putting things in ¨,,.¨,»%=&
#@#&*$=~~. my pockets. .~~=$*&#@#
###&%%\-.. ..-\%%&###
@@%@§~:.,. then i run east toward my home. .,.:~§@%@@
£%;»~¨¨... ...¨¨~»;%£
###@&^;--. / .--;^&@###
@@%=-^^,¨¨ ¨¨,^^-=%@@
##£@%*^~^. i am not followed, and slow down in the .^~^*%@£##
@^-~¨,.,.. clearing where you at first can spot ..,.,¨~-^@
####£=*~,. the house, not yet really in the .,~*=£####
#@#@&§^«^¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ¨^«^§&@#@#
@§#£¤^;~,, radio (now dented) but also a small ,,~;^¤£#§@
£¤%^*%=«,, clay figure i've never seen before. it ,,«=%*^%¤£
#¤%=:,,¨¨. must have been laying in the wet dirt, .¨¨,,:=%¤#
##£¤§$^=^¨ and i must've picked it up with my ¨^=^$§¤£##
##¶&£%=~,¨ other belongings. ¨,~=%£&¶##
@§=.¨,,.¨, ,¨.,,¨.=§@
##&*^.¨¨.¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨.¨¨.^*&##
@£§£§†=»^, on her stomach, feet in the air, ,^»=†§£§£@
#&@#@§\~~¨ roughly seven centimeters long. it's ¨~~\§@#@&#
###&*==~:, freshly made, not yet completely dried. ,:~==*&###
¶#†»~¨.¨.¨ ¨.¨.¨~»†#¶
##@§¤^=--¨ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¨--=^¤§@##
#@££§==-^¨ particle board for it to dry on, but ¨^-==§££@#
@¤§£^..,,. she is worried and wants me to .,,..^£§¤@
#@£§%**~.¨ throw it away. ¨.~**%§£@#
@£$$«..,,, ,,,..«$$£@
#%%§;«,.,, ,,.,«;§%%#
§*;\»¨,¨¨, ,¨¨,¨»\;*§
#¤§¤$%\»-¨ ¨-»\%$¤§¤#
£#£$/=-.., ,..-=/$£#£
@¶*^††*~., ,.~*††^*¶@