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