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