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