@¶¤&*=*«~, ,~«*=*&¤¶@
#§£¤¤**~,. .,~**¤¤£§#
#@#£¤=*=,¨ ¨,=*=¤£#@#
####¤$†~,, ,,~†$¤####
##@£&*/»,¨ ¨,»/*&£@##
#@@§$^*«,, statuette ,,«*^$§@@#
#@¶¤@*;-^. .^-;*@¤¶@#
##@#@*†~,¨ §$¤¤*$%¤@¤%§¤%£%»=»=~=~»&¤£%@£%%£@$£&@*% ¨,~†*@#@##
¶&£=:::¨¨. @$£&¤¤$¤% .¨¨:::=£&¶
¶$$%^-,,,¨ ¨,,,-^%$$¶
##&&£$:»~¨ forests around my childhood home. thick ¨~»:$£&&##
##@¤%$:~~, pine arcades that were planted and ,~~:$%¤@##
#§\.,¨,..¨ 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. ,,~*=&£@##
&%=»~¨..,, ,,..¨~»=%&
#¶##£%;~^, ,^~;%£##¶#
#@#££†=~^. .^~=†££#@#
##@@@$†~~, ,~~†$@@@##
#@@*~«-:¨. .¨:-«~*@@#
##@&§*:~^¨ ¨^~:*§&@##