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