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