@¤@*\»~¨¨,                                          ,¨¨~»\*@¤@
@#@£@†^=:.                                          .:=^†@£@#@
#@*@*=~.,¨                                          ¨,.~=*@*@#
##£#$%=»:,                                          ,:»=%$#£##
§£*$§%=«,,                                          ,,«=%§$*£§
##¶¤*%*«-.                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 ..~=$$§@£#
£$^~.,,,.¨ direction  of  sound  rather than at  my ¨.,,,.~^$£
#@@@%=†»:, hands, who  are  busy putting things  in ,:»†=%@@@#
###§£%=-,¨                my pockets.               ¨,-=%£§###
#£$**†^~-.                                          .-~^†**$£#
##£§*%==:, then  i   run  east   toward  my   home. ,:==%*§£##
#£/:.,,,.,                                          ,.,,,.:/£#
&*^\..,¨.¨                    †                     ¨.¨,..\^*&
##¶@@†;=^.                                          .^=;†@@¶##
£*=\\\~..¨ i am not followed, and slow down  in the ¨..~\\\=*£
&§##**;=~. clearing where  you  at  first can  spot .~=;**##§&
@¤£@\».¨.. the  house,  not  yet   really  in   the ..¨.»\@£¤@
@#¶@@%/=.. backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ..=/%@@¶#@
¶#$†*=,,,, radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ,,,,=*†$#¶
@§*^-¨¨¨¨, clay  figure i've never seen  before. it ,¨¨¨¨-^*§@
¶¤§=»:^.., must have been laying  in the wet  dirt, ,..^:»=§¤¶
@@#£¤§*-,. and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my .,-*§¤£#@@
###&£^†~..            other belongings.             ..~†^£&###
##@£&§:»~,                                          ,~»:§&£@##
#@¶#&%=~~¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ¨~~=%&#¶@#
##§†*\~.,¨ on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, ¨,.~\*†§##
@£^*=~¨..¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨..¨~=*^£@
@#@&%†:~^¨ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ¨^~:†%&@#@
###@¤†*=,,                                          ,,=*†¤@###
#@#£¤§^=,. my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some .,=^§¤£#@#
###¶@%/~,. particle board  for it  to  dry on,  but .,~/%@¶###
@£§$%^\-^. she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to .^-\^%$§£@
¤*:^^.^.,,              throw it away.              ,,.^.^^:*¤
¤%=»-..¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨..-»=%¤
##@#$$/«^.                                          .^«/$$#@##
#£%/~,,.,,                                          ,,.,,~/%£#
#$$%†††~~¨                                          ¨~~†††%$$#
#@§%«,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,«%§@#
#£%¤\»,.,¨                                          ¨,.,»\¤%£#