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