@%^=,,..,,                                          ,,..,,=^%@
£&¤†\,..¨,                                          ,¨..,\†¤&£
#@¤$§†:¨,¨                                          ¨,¨:†§$¤@#
##@¤@%^,.¨                                          ¨.,^%@¤@##
###@@¤**-.                                          .-**¤@@###
###§%*/~.,                 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 ,.,..¨~†$$
#@$*-.,,¨,              throw it away.              ,¨,,.-*$@#
@@$%*,..,,                                          ,,..,*%$@@
#¶&£%^~¨¨.                                          .¨¨~^%£&¶#
##¶@£$*^¨¨                                          ¨¨^*$£@¶##
##@¶#%%::,                                          ,::%%#¶@##
##@&$=*,¨.                                          .¨,*=$&@##
#@£¤=::,¨,                                          ,¨,::=¤£@#