#££%:~..,.                                          .,..~:%££#
#@£&*\=,.,                                          ,.,=\*&£@#
##@@%*=«,.                                          .,«=*%@@##
##£$%^=...                                          ...=^%$£##
#£&=;~,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,~;=&£#
@@§\~.¨,¨.                 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 ¨¨¨.~:%*¶@
#@¶$=/=^,, she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ,,^=/=$¶@#
##@#$^:~,,              throw it away.              ,,~:^$#@##
#@@%^=~,¨.                                          .¨,~=^%@@#
@£@%=»~¨¨.                                          .¨¨~»=%@£@
@$†=-:..¨,                                          ,¨..:-=†$@
§%;~:¨,,.,                                          ,.,,¨:~;%§
%==~..¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨..~==%
*$^-:,..,.                                          .,..,:-^$*