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