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