#¶@/,,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,,/@¶#
¶£@§§%;~:,                                          ,:~;%§§@£¶
#@%*$*/~,¨                                          ¨,~/*$*%@#
###§*§^~,,                                          ,,~^§*§###
@£@$@%/«.,                                          ,.«/%@$@£@
#£¤$/†«~,¨                statuette                 ¨,~«†/$¤£#
#@@@@$=~^,                                          ,^~=$@@@@#
##@#$%:-~¨ £%*£$%%%*£$@**$¤-«~=~~»»%*§¤%%§££¤££¤**% ¨~-:%$#@##
@¤§**§;~~,                £§*%@$£$¤                 ,~~;§**§¤@
£*»¨,,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,,¨»*£
###&%%/«:, forests around my childhood  home. thick ,:«/%%&###
####%*†~-. pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and .-~†*%####
###&@==«^¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨^«==@&###
#¤†^,¨,¨,¨ underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it ¨,¨,¨,^†¤#
####$**~^, 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.              .:=†&&£###
##@#&£:~,,                                          ,,~:£&#@##
#@#@%$^-.¨                                          ¨.-^$%@#@#
##£&%*†~-¨                                          ¨-~†*%&£##
###@%§*»:¨                                          ¨:»*§%@###
@$†:.,.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.,.:†$@
#@^-^:.,,¨                                          ¨,,.:^-^@#