¤&£&%^†«-.                                          .-«†^%&£&¤
###@&†*~~¨                                          ¨~~*†&@###
###@#%;»-,                                          ,-»;%#@###
&££$=*=»~¨                                          ¨~»=*=$££&
§£=,^,.¨..                                          ..¨.,^,=£§
#&¤^^,.¨,.                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. ..¨:~=*@#£
###§%$\~~¨                                          ¨~~\$%§###
###&£†^~^¨ my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some ¨^~^†£&###
##££%†/=^¨ particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but ¨^=/†%££##
£&=-¨¨..¨. she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to .¨..¨¨-=&£
###¤*^^~^.              throw it away.              .^~^^*¤###
###@*$;»-.                                          .-»;$*@###
##¶@%%*=^.                                          .^=*%%@¶##
@@£&§†/~,¨                                          ¨,~/†§&£@@
@^†~..,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,..~†^@
@&£§%:*«,.                                          .,«*:%§£&@
¤§&;;=~::¨                                          ¨::~=;;&§¤