##£%§^~,.,                                          ,.,~^§%£##
###@¤=^»^.                                          .^»^=¤@###
#£¤¤*:»,.,                                          ,.,»:*¤¤£#
@¤$^:-~¨¨,                                          ,¨¨~-:^$¤@
#£%==:,,.¨                                          ¨.,,:==%£#
$^=«,¨¨.,¨                 statuette                ¨,.¨¨,«=^$
^*=-.¨..,,                                          ,,..¨.-=*^
=»:,.¨,.¨¨ %§$§@$¤%&*§§§¤£$~=-«==~-&§*£$£@£*%$$*%¤¤ ¨¨.,¨.,:»=
%*~-.,..,¨                $§§%§$£§&                 ¨,..,.-~*%
@**».,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,.»**@
¤£†/»~¨¨.. forests around my childhood home.  thick ..¨¨~»/†£¤
#&¤†*~,.,. pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and .,.,~*†¤&#
@#@*†:~.¨,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,¨.~:†*@#@
##@@£**~:¨ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ¨:~**£@@##
@£§$*^»~.. is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having ..~»^*$§£@
#@%%\«.¨¨¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨¨¨.«\%%@#
#@*\«.,.,,                                          ,,.,.«\*@#
$$^=:.¨.¨, 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.              ,¨.«\**&##
#@££$†:~,,                                          ,,~:†$££@#
@@&*%=«^.¨                                          ¨.^«=%*&@@
#¤£$;«~¨¨,                                          ,¨¨~«;$£¤#
§£%;~^...¨                                          ¨...^~;%£§
¤*;~-.,.¨.                                          .¨.,.-~;*¤
%;~,¨¨.,.,                                          ,.,.¨¨,~;%