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