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