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