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