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