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