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