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