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