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