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