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