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