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