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