#@¤*^/-.¨. .¨.-/^*¤@#
&£%†;†---, ,---†;†%£&
###§@^^»,¨ ¨,»^^@§###
##@#£=:-^, ,^-:=£#@##
@@@$@*;=,. .,=;*@$@@@
@$*»~,,¨.¨ statuette ¨.¨,,~»*$@
##@¤&%;=,. .,=;%&¤@##
#####*/»-, £$%$$@¤&*&%%£$$£~««-»-=~$¤%%&%@£$*%£¤£¤* ,-»/*#####
##¶#&%*-:¨ $¤@*$¤¤%$ ¨:-*%&#¶##
¶@=%^~~.¨, ,¨.~~^%=@¶
§#@&*-,.¨. 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 ....,,~/£§
#¤$=~:¨,,, she is worried and wants me to ,,,¨:~=$¤#
##§££$=~,, throw it away. ,,~=$££§##
#£#@£%*~:. .:~*%£@#£#
####¤$†«,¨ ¨,«†$¤####
##£&%=^«^. .^«^=%&£##
@@§*/,,¨.¨ ¨.¨,,/*§@@
@@@£%§*~~, ,~~*§%£@@@
@&&§%*^-.. ..-^*%§&&@