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