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