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