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