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