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