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