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