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