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