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