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