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