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