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