#†**~,.,.,                                          ,.,.,~**†#
@¶¶¤$=;~,.                                          .,~;=$¤¶¶@
###£¤*§*».                                          .»*§*¤£###
##@@&*/«:¨                                          ¨:«/*&@@##
§§;,¨..,,.                                          .,,..¨,;§§
##@#£%†~,¨                 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, .,«/%%£$$£
¤@^%*--,,¨ and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my ¨,,--*%^@¤
¶&%^\=.,..            other belongings.             ..,.=\^%&¶
¶#@%%§*=,,                                          ,,=*§%%@#¶
@#§^»»-,., it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ,.,-»»^§#@
#@£#£=;=~. on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, .~=;=£#£@#
£¤££%§†~~.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .~~†§%££¤£
##@§@%=~,¨ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ¨,~=%@§@##
###¤$§^»:.                                          .:»^§$¤###
@@@¤$^;«,, my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some ,,«;^$¤@@@
##¶&%††«,, particle  board for it to  dry  on,  but ,,«††%&¶##
#@$%\»~«,. she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to .,«~»\%$@#
#$/*~~¨¨,.              throw it away.              .,¨¨~~*/$#
#@§$$~^,.,                                          ,.,^~$$§@#
##£&*^==.,                                          ,.==^*&£##
@&%*†~=¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨=~†*%&@
#¤§&%§==,,                                          ,,==§%&§¤#
##@@*%:=^,                                          ,^=:%*@@##
@£*=,.,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,.,=*£@