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