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