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