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