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