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