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