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