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