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