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