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