@*^$*^^~:.                                          .:~^^*$^*@
#@@¤$^*~:.                                          .:~*^$¤@@#
####%†;«,.                                          .,«;†%####
#@¤$†\~~~.                                          .~~~\†$¤@#
#^»..¨...¨                                          ¨...¨..»^#
@§†«:¨,,¨.                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 ,,~†§*@£##
#@#@$%\=^, she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ,^=\%$@#@#
#@@£$§/~..              throw it away.              ..~/§$£@@#
@@#¤*%*«^.                                          .^«*%*¤#@@
@#@@$*:~^,                                          ,^~:*$@@#@
¤£&;^,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,^;&£¤
###@&%†:~.                                          .~:†%&@###
##@#¤%^=,¨                                          ¨,=^%¤#@##
¤&§%;:/~~¨                                          ¨~~/:;%§&¤