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