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