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