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