@¶£@=\«-.,                                          ,.-«\=@£¶@
#¤*%=~,,..                                          ..,,~=%*¤#
&%*:~~.¨.,                                          ,.¨.~~:*%&
*=†~^....¨                                          ¨....^~†=*
@$*:«,.,,,                                          ,,,.,«:*$@
@&%=^»~.,¨                 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 ,,-~;*&§£@
##£#$$;»^¨ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ¨^»;$$#£##
@#§&$*-~..              throw it away.              ..~-*$&§#@
#§$=†»:,,¨                                          ¨,,:»†=$§#
¤%†:~^.,.¨                                          ¨.,.^~:†%¤
@%:~.,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,.~:%@
#$%\=~.,..                                          ..,.~=\%$#
@@&*/-...,                                          ,...-/*&@@
#@§§§/-:¨¨                                          ¨¨:-/§§§@#