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