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