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