#¤££§**~-,                                          ,-~**§££¤#
@£§£/»~,.¨                                          ¨.,~»/£§£@
£*%:«~«¨,¨                                          ¨,¨«~«:%*£
@£=^†^~¨.¨                                          ¨.¨~^†^=£@
#*$^==~¨.¨                                          ¨.¨~==^$*#
#@$=-»¨,¨¨                statuette                 ¨¨,¨»-=$@#
@@#@@*^~^.                                          .^~^*@@#@@
@¤§*†~.¨¨, %¤%£$$£%£¤@§*%§£--«~~~==$£$&$@%%%@§&&§£% ,¨¨.~†*§¤@
¶¶&†»=.,¨,                 @%%&£%&$%                ,¨,.=»†&¶¶
#@£¤§*^-,¨                                          ¨,-^*§¤£@#
#@@§%=:~^. forests around my  childhood home. thick .^~:=%§@@#
&£*^,,.... pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ....,,^*£&
###£%†\-,¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨,-\†%£###
¤$^\,..¨¨, underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ,¨¨..,\^$¤
##@§$$;=,. 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.              ,,¨-,,\@§@
###¤$%*~:,                                          ,:~*%$¤###
###§¤$†».,                                          ,.»†$¤§###
#*&@§*;~..                                          ..~;*§@&*#
###&£*;«-,                                          ,-«;*£&###
¤$*^*~,,,.                                          .,,,~*^*$¤
##@¤§^;~:¨                                          ¨:~;^§¤@##