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