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