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