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