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