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