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