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