##¶¤§$==~.                                          .~==$§¤¶##
#@¶#&§\»,¨                                          ¨,»\§&#¶@#
@#¤£%*†=-.                                          .-=†*%£¤#@
##£§£*†~~.                                          .~~†*£§£##
§@£%%^†«-,                                          ,-«†^%%£@§
##$%»»»,¨.                 statuette                .¨,»»»%$##
@£%*$~..¨,                                          ,¨..~$*%£@
#@#&%*;~^¨ **&*§@%%¤%£*§&£*~-~-~-««$£@%%$%£%$%@§$£% ¨^~;*%&#@#
@§@¤§†=-,¨                $§@&£**¤@                 ¨,-=†§¤@§@
@@#§£%:~..                                          ..~:%£§#@@
#@@#£^^=-, forests around my childhood home.  thick ,-=^^£#@@#
#@¶#$^:=,¨ 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 .^~**$&###
&†~~::.¨..              throw it away.              ..¨.::~~†&
##@#%%:~,.                                          .,~:%%#@##
###¤£%/=^.                                          .^=/%£¤###
&£;-~¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨~-;£&
###&&†:~:,                                          ,:~:†&&###
@^†»..¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨..»†^@
@@&$==»~.,                                          ,.~»==$&@@