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