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