¶@$$\,,.,.                                          .,.,,\$$@¶
##£§§*^=.,                                          ,.=^*§§£##
¶&/;=.....                                          .....=;/&¶
##¶§£%*«.¨                                          ¨.«*%£§¶##
¶£^$†«¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨«†$^£¶
###£$=:~^.                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 ¨.¨,,~^%¤@
#¶££$%†«,¨ clay figure i've  never seen before.  it ¨,«†%$££¶#
###&$=*»,, must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, ,,»*=$&###
##¶§£$\-,¨ and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my ¨,-\$£§¶##
&§@†:,¨¨,,             other belongings.            ,,¨¨,:†@§&
&#§§§$/»:¨                                          ¨:»/$§§§#&
#@%£^†\~,, it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ,,~\†^£%@#
£=*†~=~.¨. on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, .¨.~=~†*=£
#@#¤&§^»:.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .:»^§&¤#@#
£%*~¨¨..,. freshly made, not yet completely  dried. .,..¨¨~*%£
##@&$†\~,,                                          ,,~\†$&@##
##@&&*=»~, my mom is here  now. i ask  her for some ,~»=*&&@##
##££&*:»^¨ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ¨^»:*&££##
£#§=:,.... she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ....,:=§#£
#*«...¨,.¨              throw it away.              ¨.,¨...«*#
¶@§£*†*~-¨                                          ¨-~*†*£§@¶
£=-^.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.^-=£
##£§%§*»,.                                          .,»*§%§£##
##¶¤£$\=~¨                                          ¨~=\$£¤¶##
#@¶£*†;»-¨                                          ¨-»;†*£¶@#
##£@@†\~:,                                          ,:~\†@@£##