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