@£;†»:¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨:»†;£@
###&$†^~:¨                                          ¨:~^†$&###
#@@#$$†~.,                                          ,.~†$$#@@#
##£@&^†»^¨                                          ¨^»†^&@£##
###&$*/-~¨                                          ¨~-/*$&###
##¶@$^/«:.                 statuette                .:«/^$@¶##
£@#=%^;~:¨                                          ¨:~;^%=#@£
§£*£*\^=^. &%¤%£§&$£¤£*¤&$£~==~-»-~%%@*%£%*%@@§£*&* .^=^\*£*£§
#@¤¤$~^.¨.                 *£*£§@%*$                .¨.^~$¤¤@#
##@¤%*:~,,                                          ,,~:*%¤@##
&*^/\^:,.. forests around my childhood home.  thick ..,:^\/^*&
##@#¤§\~,, pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ,,~\§¤#@##
@§&£&%^-:¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨:-^%&£&§@
@&£%=:\~,¨ underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it ¨,~\:=%£&@
#@@@%=;~,, is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having ,,~;=%@@@#
#@£#%§^~., already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,.~^§%#£@#
##£@$=:~^,                                          ,^~:=$@£##
#¤&£†»¨,.. there's  a river  passing by,  from east ..,¨»†£&¤#
£&†^¨,,..¨ to west,  getting broader and deeper and ¨..,,¨^†&£
#@@¤¤%:~., slower as it goes.  equisetum grow  just ,.~:%¤¤@@#
###§§*^-~. where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let .~-^*§§###
#@¶£%^†~,¨ through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky ¨,~†^%£¶@#
#@*£/-.,.,                river bed.                ,.,.-/£*@#
#@@&£=^~:,                                          ,:~^=£&@@#
@&*==,.¨.,                    ^                     ,.¨.,==*&@
###£@^†-,,                                          ,,-†^@£###
####£†/~:¨ the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight ¨:~/†£####
###&*%^-., they had been a  swampworld with  sylvan ,.-^%*&###
####&£/».¨ water,  stone  rings  and floating moss. ¨.»/£&####
#@£¤§§=»,. you  could've found  me wallowing around .,»=§§¤£@#
@§§%=~.¨.. on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ..¨.~=%§§@
###§¤=;=-.                 bitten.                  .-=;=¤§###
##¶#*%^»,¨                                          ¨,»^%*#¶##
###@§*;»~. but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid .~»;*§@###
##£@&*:~:, ground, in shoulder-high grass,  with an ,:~:*&@£##
#%%†%†==-¨ orange  tin  radio  and   a  translucent ¨-==†%†%%#
@$††=,...,      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.            .~-†\^¤$&¤
#%*~,.¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨.,~*%#
#@@¤£*\»,¨ it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ¨,»\*£¤@@#
###§%^\--, on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ,--\^%§###
&%:~.¨.¨.¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨.¨.¨.~:%&
#@@&£^\=,. freshly made,  not yet completely dried. .,=\^£&@@#
##=~,..,..                                          ..,..,~=##
@££¤@=†~:¨ my mom  is here  now. i ask her for some ¨:~†=@¤££@
##*^::.,¨¨ particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but ¨¨,.::^*##
#&§§^:=¨., she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ,.¨=:^§§&#
£¤&&=~¨¨.,              throw it away.              ,.¨¨~=&&¤£
#@¶¤$*;».¨                                          ¨.»;*$¤¶@#
##@#*%\»:,                                          ,:»\%*#@##
#@#£&%;~,,                                          ,,~;%&£#@#
@#¶£&§^~^,                                          ,^~^§&£¶#@
###@#&/~:¨                                          ¨:~/&#@###
&=;=~:.,.,                                          ,.,.:~=;=&