¶£§==†~,.¨                                          ¨.,~†==§£¶
##¶§¤*:«,.                                          .,«:*¤§¶##
&†~.,.,.,¨                                          ¨,.,.,.~†&
##&¤&%=»,¨                                          ¨,»=%&¤&##
##¶¤@%†«:.                                          .:«†%@¤¶##
@@#@@=^»~.                 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 ¨~-:$¤§#@#
@%==-^--¨. she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to .¨--^-==%@
#†=«-,.,,¨              throw it away.              ¨,,.,-«=†#
@£#££†:=..                                          ..=:†££#£@
@¤&$=«~»^¨                                          ¨^»~«=$&¤@
#*/,..,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,..,/*#
@#@§%^:-:,                                          ,:-:^%§@#@
#@@¤$=;~^¨                                          ¨^~;=$¤@@#
&%;»-,,,,,                                          ,,,,,-»;%&