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