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