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