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