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