£§%††-..,¨                                          ¨,..-††%§£
###£$=:~~,                                          ,~~:=$£###
@#@&£=/-:.                                          .:-/=£&@#@
#¶@#@=/-..                                          ..-/=@#@¶#
##£#&%†~.¨                                          ¨.~†%&#£##
@§=«,,¨¨.,                 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 .,¨=«†$@&#
#@££¤%/~~¨ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ¨~~/%¤££@#
#£&@;=«,,, she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ,,,«=;@&£#
#@%*~,,¨,¨              throw it away.              ¨,¨,,~*%@#
¤††=¨¨..¨,                                          ,¨..¨¨=††¤
#@@§£††~:,                                          ,:~††£§@@#
####£†*»-,                                          ,-»*†£####
###¤£*/«^.                                          .^«/*£¤###
#@¶&@%\~~.                                          .~~\%@&¶@#
##@££$†«-¨                                          ¨-«†$££@##