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