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