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