@£=^=^:~,.                                          .,~:^=^=£@
££@&%§=-,¨                                          ¨,-=§%&@££
#@§&£$^~:¨                                          ¨:~^$£&§@#
##¤††«.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.«††¤##
##¶@£^†»,.                                          .,»†^£@¶##
#$†%:::,.¨                statuette                 ¨.,:::%†$#
¶¤$^-^¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨^-^$¤¶
¤£#¤§-.¨,, %$$$£@&$$$**&£§&~««»~~=-$%§%%%%**¤£@¤$$% ,,¨.-§¤#£¤
@&@&*^*~,,                 §*$%§£@&&                ,,~*^*&@&@
#¶@¤@%†~,,                                          ,,~†%@¤@¶#
£%$&@^^--, forests around my childhood home.  thick ,--^^@&$%£
##£@%^^~:. pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and .:~^^%@£##
#&*£^§*«,¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨,«*§^£*&#
@¤%=†:,¨¨. underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it .¨¨,:†=%¤@
@#¶@@=†~~, is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having ,~~†=@@¶#@
@**~¨¨,,.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.,,¨¨~**@
£§/«»^¨¨..                                          ..¨¨^»«/§£
##@@@^†»~. there's  a river passing  by, from  east .~»†^@@@##
###¤$*†~,, to west, getting broader and deeper  and ,,~†*$¤###
¤§*^-.¨.., slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just ,..¨.-^*§¤
¶@&%=,.,¨¨ where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let ¨¨,.,=%&@¶
###££&=~-, through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky ,-~=&££###
#£§£$*\-^,                river bed.                ,^-\*$£§£#
£#**»,.,,,                                          ,,,.,»**#£
#@@§%$^-:,                    /                     ,:-^$%§@@#
@@§#¤$*«,,                                          ,,«*$¤#§@@
#¶@£$$\~,, 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.              ,~-=^$¤£##
#@#&&=†»~,                                          ,~»†=&&#@#
@§££†§;«.,                                          ,.«;§†££§@
#$§^*§:«,¨                                          ¨,«:§*^§$#
#@@£%^†=^¨                                          ¨^=†^%£@@#
¶¶§%\-.,,.                                          .,,.-\%§¶¶
###§$^=~^,                                          ,^~=^$§###