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