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