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