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