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