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