#@#@£%/~:,                                          ,:~/%£@#@#
@£££$=^=.¨                                          ¨.=^=$£££@
#£&@§§†».¨                                          ¨.»†§§@&£#
##@£$=†«:,                                          ,:«†=$£@##
§¤†«-,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,-«†¤§
##@§£%==~¨                 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. ,:~^%$&@##
£$$%%†;~^¨                                          ¨^~;†%%$$£
@*§$†«¨,,,                     :                    ,,,¨«†$§*@
@#¶@¤$=-.,                                          ,.-=$¤@¶#@
¶£*;~^,,,¨ i am not followed, and slow down in  the ¨,,,^~;*£¶
##¶#%^/-.. clearing  where you  at  first can  spot ..-/^%#¶##
###¤§^†=^¨ the   house,  not  yet   really  in  the ¨^=†^§¤###
@†^*†;^»~¨ backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my ¨~»^;†*^†@
##¶££^\«^¨ radio  (now  dented)  but  also  a small ¨^«\^££¶##
###&§$†-^. clay  figure  i've never seen before. it .^-†$§&###
#@#¤%*=~,, must have been laying  in the  wet dirt, ,,~=*%¤#@#
£=»«..,.,. and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my .,.,..«»=£
£#=^::.¨..            other belongings.             ..¨.::^=#£
@@*%*«»,.,                                          ,.,»«*%*@@
#£@££†/=:. it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked .:=/†££@£#
##@¤@%=~-, on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ,-~=%@¤@##
##£§£*\--.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .--\*£§£##
@%==.¨,¨.. freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ..¨,¨.==%@
@#@£&§;=.¨                                          ¨.=;§&£@#@
#£§%~,¨.., my  mom is here now. i ask her  for some ,..¨,~%§£#
@@#¤&†^~-. particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but .-~^†&¤#@@
###@£*^«,. she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to .,«^*£@###
###£%==«-,              throw it away.              ,-«==%£###
¤$$=^%;»~,                                          ,~»;%^=$$¤
&=\--,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,--\=&
##££*%†-:.                                          .:-†%*££##
¶@*;/†~..¨                                          ¨..~†/;*@¶
§^†:,.,.,¨                                          ¨,.,.,:†^§
¶#§£$%:--.                                          .--:%$£§#¶