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