#@¶§$*/~-.                                          .-~/*$§¶@#
#£&¤@^=-:,                                          ,:-=^@¤&£#
###@§§/»..                                          ..»/§§@###
#@##@=^».¨                                          ¨.»^=@##@#
#£$@=†;~,.                                          .,~;†=@$£#
#§§§£%/--¨                 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 .,~**$@@@#
#@#§%^*=,¨ on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ¨,=*^%§#@#
#&%\;*:»^¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨^»:*;\%&#
#@#£@†/=^. freshly made, not yet  completely dried. .^=/†@£#@#
£*^=^/~»,.                                          .,»~/^=^*£
###@£*†~-, my  mom is here now. i ask her for  some ,-~†*£@###
@£@†=~^..¨ particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but ¨..^~=†@£@
#£¶&£^==,. she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to .,==^£&¶£#
@¤§=~.,¨.,              throw it away.              ,.¨,.~=§¤@
#@¶&&=:~-¨                                          ¨-~:=&&¶@#
@§&§*~~.¨,                                          ,¨.~~*§&§@
#@#¤$^:-,¨                                          ¨,-:^$¤#@#
#@##§%†»~¨                                          ¨~»†%§##@#
#¶#§£*=~,,                                          ,,~=*£§#¶#
###¤@*^».¨                                          ¨.»^*@¤###