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