@§;~...¨¨.                                          .¨¨...~;§@
#¶##$†;--,                                          ,--;†$##¶#
###£&^*«~.                                          .~«*^&£###
###§@**-~.                                          .~-**@§###
#££§%*/~.¨                                          ¨.~/*%§££#
###§§$/«,¨                 statuette                ¨,«/$§§###
¶#&=*~-,.,                                          ,.,-~*=&#¶
£*$¤*/^~~¨ ¤§&%%@¤$$£%*£$$%»»~~-»=«@¤£&*$&*£$£@$£&£ ¨~~^/*¤$*£
#@#&¤*\»-¨                 $*£@§¤¤%¤                ¨-»\*¤&#@#
#@¶§£$=~:.                                          .:~=$£§¶@#
&£*†»...¨. forests around my  childhood home. thick .¨...»†*£&
###¤£%:=~¨ pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ¨~=:%£¤###
##@#*§*~:,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,:~*§*#@##
§†*,¨¨,,., underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ,.,,¨¨,*†§
##@&%=/-,¨ is  dark and  moist,  the canopy  having ¨,-/=%&@##
£¶§$£=;~,¨ 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.              ¨^«**%&@##
@£@$$§/=~,                                          ,~=/§$$@£@
#@¶¤@†\«,,                                          ,,«\†@¤¶@#
#¤&#&*:=.¨                                          ¨.=:*&#&¤#
¶#¤%~,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,~%¤#¶
#%£*^§:»,.                                          .,»:§^*£%#
##¶&$^*~^,                                          ,^~*^$&¶##