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