##§%/:::¨¨                                          ¨¨:::/%§##
@*&%*%/-:,                                          ,:-/%*%&*@
#§^*/†*«-¨                                          ¨-«*†/*^§#
####¤%\~.,                                          ,.~\%¤####
##@£&§=~^,                                          ,^~=§&£@##
&#£:~~.,.¨                 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 .,,:^^^$$£
@@£§$%;»~¨ must have been  laying in the wet  dirt, ¨~»;%$§£@@
#¤$†%:\-^. and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my .^-\:%†$¤#
###¶#%;»,,             other belongings.            ,,»;%#¶###
#¤**-~,¨..                                          ..¨,~-**¤#
###£%††=-, it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked ,-=††%£###
##@@$^*~:, on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, ,:~*^$@@##
@#¶¤§%\-,,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,,-\%§¤¶#@
##@£%*/»,, freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ,,»/*%£@##
#$£&:~.¨,,                                          ,,¨.~:&£$#
#@¶£&*=»:, my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some ,:»=*&£¶@#
#@#&$*;-^¨ particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ¨^-;*$&#@#
@£==,.,¨¨. she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to .¨¨,.,==£@
#§%~«,,.¨,              throw it away.              ,¨.,,«~%§#
##@%%$/~,¨                                          ¨,~/$%%@##
§=~:~^,¨,.                                          .,¨,^~:~=§
@&&£§$;=,.                                          .,=;$§£&&@
#@#£$$*=,.                                          .,=*$$£#@#
£†=~....,,                                          ,,....~=†£
###@@^^«:.                                          .:«^^@@###