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