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