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