#@#&§%:=~. .~=:%§@#
@*»»~,~,., ,.,~,~»»*@
###@£§*~-. .-~*§£@###
##@§&=†»,¨ ¨,»†=&§@##
#@££&^^«^. .^«^^&££@#
##@#&*\«.¨ 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 ¨¨.«;;^$¤@
@¶§#@§^»,, she is worried and wants me to ,,»^§@#§¶@
#@@@%†*-:, throw it away. ,:-*†%@@@#
@@#§&%*-~, ,~-*%&§#@@
#%*†«,,,,¨ ¨,,,,«†*%#
#¤¤*:~.,,, ,,,.~:*¤¤#
###¤*§=~^, ,^~=§*¤###
§§:»«,¨,.. ..,¨,«»:§§
##@£¤$:»~. .~»:$¤£@##