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