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