#@¶#&$=«.,                                          ,.«=$&#¶@#
#@¶§£*\«,¨                                          ¨,«\*£§¶@#
#¤$^»=,.,¨                                          ¨,.,=»^$¤#
##££§=\«:¨                                          ¨:«\=§££##
§&/,..¨¨..                                          ..¨¨..,/&§
###&$%\~,,                 statuette                ,,~\%$&###
###¤*=:».,                                          ,.»:=*¤###
@*%†*:,-~, %$£§¤$@£@@$***@$«=»~»-=~%%%$%&&%$£&£$*$£ ,~-,:*†%*@
###§$†=»,.                 @$$@@$£*¤                .,»=†$§###
@£$*=»¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨»=*$£@
#@@&§†=~,. 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. .¨,^†^:$&@
@@£§%†/~-.                                          .-~/†%§£@@
##@#@^†»~, my mom is here now.  i ask  her for some ,~»†^@#@##
@§£==,¨..¨ particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but ¨..¨,==£§@
¤&£%*:,,,¨ she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ¨,,,:*%£&¤
#@¶&§%\-^,              throw it away.              ,^-\%§&¶@#
###¶#§§=,¨                                          ¨,=§§#¶###
##†~.,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,.~†##
###¶&£^*».                                          .»*^£&¶###
@@*\:¨.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.¨:\*@@
@$%$=-¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨-=$%$@
££%=«¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨«=%££