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