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