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