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