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