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