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