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