#¤%\~^.,¨.                                          .¨,.^~\%¤#
#£§^^«:...                                          ...:«^^§£#
##£§*=~.¨.                                          .¨.~=*§£##
####£%^~.¨                                          ¨.~^%£####
#@#£%*~,,¨                                          ¨,,~*%£#@#
#@£$:~,,,¨                 statuette                ¨,,,~:$£@#
££*^»,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,»^*££
£==-^¨,.¨. %£@$%%%£$§%$&&£§=«~»~»»~££*$§£@£§%§$§$£§ .¨.,¨^-==£
*†~-,¨,,,¨                §$$§$¤%$@                 ¨,,,¨,-~†*
#^^»,.¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨.,»^^#
#&*:~,¨¨.¨ 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. ,.¨,..»†$¤
%/=.,¨.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.¨,.=/%
#%^=~¨,¨., my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some ,.¨,¨~=^%#
@§%:»^...¨ particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but ¨...^»:%§@
#£@%\«:,¨, she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ,¨,:«\%@£#
#@#@†;»,,¨              throw it away.              ¨,,»;†@#@#
###@§§†~^.                                          .^~†§§@###
###§†*«-,.                                          .,-«*†§###
##£^\~,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,~\^£##
¶¤*\»,.,.¨                                          ¨.,.,»\*¤¶
¤$^»-..¨.¨                                          ¨.¨..-»^$¤
*^~..¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨..~^*