#@##%†=~,, ,,~=†%##@#
#£@#¤*:=., ,.=:*¤#@£#
¶#§%*§\-:. .:-\§*%§#¶
###@§%^~~, ,~~^%§@###
###¤£*=~,, ,,~=*£¤###
@*$$=..¨,¨ statuette ¨,¨..=$$*@
#%=/=,¨¨,. .,¨¨,=/=%#
##@@$%;«:¨ $£%@¤$&¤£§%%§&¤$«-«~~=«»%&%£*££%*£$§$¤£@ ¨:«;%$@@##
#@=†»¨.¨¨. %*$$&§¤£% .¨¨.¨»†=@#
£§$~~¨¨¨¨. .¨¨¨¨~~$§£
£¤^==-¨.¨, forests around my childhood home. thick ,¨.¨-==^¤£
##¶£¤*:--. pine arcades that were planted and .--:*¤£¶##
@@£&$**~,. forgotten. wild boars roaming .,~**$&£@@
##@#*$=~^. underneath, sniffing at the ground. it .^~=$*#@##
£$/†«-¨¨,¨ is dark and moist, the canopy having ¨,¨¨-«†/$£
#%%†*,~-,, already soaked up all the sun. ,,-~,*†%%#
#@#@¤†\=-¨ ¨-=\†¤@#@#
#¶@@&%†=,¨ there's a river passing by, from east ¨,=†%&@@¶#
@§†^...,., to west, getting broader and deeper and ,.,...^†§@
¤$%$;«,¨¨, slower as it goes. equisetum grow just ,¨¨,«;$%$¤
£££§/^,¨,, where the pine hands start to let ,,¨,^/§£££
@##¤*^\~:, through light, horsemint on the rocky ,:~\^*¤##@
@#*$$†^,.. river bed. ..,^†$$*#@
###£%^†».¨ ¨.»†^%£###
@&§/~,..,¨ ^ ¨,..,~/§&@
£$;-,.¨.,, ,,.¨.,-;$£
#@¶&£†:-:, the riverbanks reek of magic. tonight ,:-:†£&¶@#
##¶@%%:»:¨ they had been a swampworld with sylvan ¨:»:%%@¶##
@@/-¨,,.,, water, stone rings and floating moss. ,,.,,¨-/@@
§*=,.,.¨.. you could've found me wallowing around ..¨.,.,=*§
@#@§†;:.,, on the southern shores until i got ,,.:;†§@#@
@££&§===,, bitten. ,,===§&££@
@£%=~.¨¨., ,.¨¨.~=%£@
#&$*:^,~.. but now i'm further back, on solid ..~,^:*$&#
#¶@#%=*»,, ground, in shoulder-high grass, with an ,,»*=%#@¶#
££$-,.¨¨¨, orange tin radio and a translucent ,¨¨¨.,-$££
#@##%$=-~, umbrella which i'm sitting on. ,~-=$%##@#
@#@§$=:»,, ,,»:=$§@#@
#$$«~..,¨¨ / ¨¨,..~«$$#
@§&§&%\-:¨ ¨:-\%&§&§@
####£†:~~, somethings moving in the grass. it's ,~~:†£####
###¤&$\-~, invisible to my eyes but i can feel ,~-\$&¤###
##¶§¤*=-^¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨^-=*¤§¶##
####¤%\-,¨ ¨,-\%¤####
@%«¨.¨¨¨¨, the soil is muddy. i slip when trying ,¨¨¨¨.¨«%@
¤£&§^=-¨,¨ to get up, still looking at the ¨,¨-=^§&£¤
@@#&¤*;~,¨ direction of sound rather than at my ¨,~;*¤&#@@
##¶&$§=~,. hands, who are busy putting things in .,~=§$&¶##
£¤*^\^/~:, my pockets. ,:~/^\^*¤£
##£&$§^~:, ,:~^§$&£##
¶&£/~,¨,,. then i run east toward my home. .,,¨,~/£&¶
@£#$=~¨.,, ,,.¨~=$#£@
###@@%*»:. = .:»*%@@###
#%;;.¨¨¨.¨ ¨.¨¨¨.;;%#
##@££^/=.¨ i am not followed, and slow down in the ¨.=/^££@##
###¤£^;-.. clearing where you at first can spot ..-;^£¤###
#§*^~«:¨,. the house, not yet really in the .,¨:«~^*§#
###£&%/~^, backyard. from my pockets i retrieve my ,^~/%&£###
#@##£^;-^. radio (now dented) but also a small .^-;^£##@#
@£=»-¨¨.., clay figure i've never seen before. it ,..¨¨-»=£@
##@£&^^«,¨ must have been laying in the wet dirt, ¨,«^^&£@##
£#@\:,¨.,, and i must've picked it up with my ,,.¨,:\@#£
£¤@*=~»¨,¨ other belongings. ¨,¨»~=*@¤£
#§†~-,^¨¨, ,¨¨^,-~†§#
#@¶¤&*^»~¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨~»^*&¤¶@#
##@%~~,¨,, on her stomach, feet in the air, ,,¨,~~%@##
###¤¤%\«., roughly seven centimeters long. it's ,.«\%¤¤###
#@##@=:»-. freshly made, not yet completely dried. .-»:=@##@#
###&@%;~-, ,-~;%@&###
##@@*%;~.¨ my mom is here now. i ask her for some ¨.~;%*@@##
£¶&^\~^-.. particle board for it to dry on, but ..-^~\^&¶£
@#@&%*/=,¨ she is worried and wants me to ¨,=/*%&@#@
¶*^»:,,,,¨ throw it away. ¨,,,,:»^*¶
¤$$/-~,.,¨ ¨,.,~-/$$¤
@#*@*†;=^, ,^=;†*@*#@
##@£¤†\«,, ,,«\†¤£@##
##¤%^-:.., ,..:-^%¤##
###¤&*;=-, ,-=;*&¤###
£§=\~.¨,.¨ ¨.,¨.~\=§£