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