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