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