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