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