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