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