£§§^%†/~-¨                                          ¨-~/†%^§§£
#§==†»^,¨.                                          .¨,^»†==§#
##@@$=*=.¨                                          ¨.=*=$@@##
@#†=,^...,                                          ,...^,=†#@
@$**$:»«~,                                          ,~«»:$**$@
¶$;».,,.¨¨                 statuette                ¨¨.,,.»;$¶
§#§†»¨.,¨,                                          ,¨,.¨»†§#§
&£*§:~..,, £&£*£§**@$%£*$*%=«=-==~»%$@*§¤$%&£§@$%@% ,,..~:§*£&
###¤%*:»,¨                 §%$$£@§%$                ¨,»:*%¤###
#&&%=«~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~«=%&&#
#@@#@§^=,¨ 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 .,«^=$§@@#
@¤§=^¨.¨,. particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but .,¨.¨^=§¤@
@###%†\=-¨ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ¨-=\†%###@
¤%;,¨,,¨¨¨              throw it away.              ¨¨¨,,¨,;%¤
##£¤%$*»~¨                                          ¨~»*$%¤£##
###@@%*=,.                                          .,=*%@@###
#£&¤*^»,,,                                          ,,,»^*¤&£#
@@#&***-.,                                          ,.-***&#@@
#¤%%†\:¨.¨                                          ¨.¨:\†%%¤#
###&**^~-.                                          .-~^**&###