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