#£#£$§\«~.                                          .~«\§$£#£#
##£#&*;=:.                                          .:=;*&#£##
£#§%§;»-^,                                          ,^-»;§%§#£
£$*;-.,.,¨                                          ¨,.,.-;*$£
###&*§==:,                                          ,:==§*&###
###@$=*--.                 statuette                .--*=$@###
§#&=*,,¨..                                          ..¨,,*=&#§
£§$==,¨¨¨, £@§$*££$§££%&@§£-~~=~--«£&$£%&¤*££§$$@$% ,¨¨¨,==$§£
##£#£%\«,¨                *%$$@%£§£                 ¨,«\%£#£##
#@£¤&%†=^,                                          ,^=†%&¤£@#
#@$*::,..¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨..,::*$@#
#@#&&%†«:¨ 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.              .-~^§&@###
#@*\-,,.,.                                          .,.,,-\*@#
£¤@;†«.¨,.                                          .,¨.«†;@¤£
#@@¤$^:-,,                                          ,,-:^$¤@@#
§¤$*/=»¨,¨                                          ¨,¨»=/*$¤§
@^*-~¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨~-*^@
###&%§:»,¨                                          ¨,»:§%&###