&%/»~:^:^¨                                          ¨^:^:~»/%&
¤$$\^.¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨.^\$$¤
#¤#@§=;~-.                                          .-~;=§@#¤#
##¶¤%=:»:.                                          .:»:=%¤¶##
£%†~~.,.,,                                          ,,.,.~~†%£
##¶@**\~~,                statuette                 ,~~\**@¶##
@£§^/,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,/^§£@
£%=†^.¨.¨, &§§&¤@%§££@£&£&@«=~~~»==£*%¤%&$*$%$&$£$$ ,¨.¨.^†=%£
###&£†\~,.                &££%&¤$§£                 .,~\†£&###
##£¤%%:~,.                                          .,~:%%¤£##
@£@^†^^»^, forests around my childhood  home. thick ,^»^^†^@£@
£@^=*=»-¨, pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,¨-»=*=^@£
####&†*«^¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨^«*†&####
@=«,,.¨,¨, underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ,¨,¨.,,«=@
##@££%;~,, is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having ,,~;%££@##
¤$=~-¨.¨¨. 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.              ,~-\$$¤£##
###@&^;=^,                                          ,^=;^&@###
£&^=..¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨..=^&£
#@£%«~,:,,                                          ,,:,~«%£@#
##*%=-,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,-=%*##
@*=,,¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨,,=*@
¤&=†:-,¨..                                          ..¨,-:†=&¤