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