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