&§£@%%:=^,                                          ,^=:%%@£§&
£&$:^--...                                          ...--^:$&£
##££@=*«,,                                          ,,«*=@££##
#@¶¤$$†».¨                                          ¨.»†$$¤¶@#
###@%*/«:¨                                          ¨:«/*%@###
£$^^«-¨¨¨.                statuette                 .¨¨¨-«^^$£
&*~,~..¨,,                                          ,,¨..~,~*&
¶£%%~.,,¨, £$£*$$$§&$%*§£$&=~«»~-«~£*££££%%§*%%£$£@ ,¨,,.~%%£¶
#@@£$**~..                £$%¤**§$%                 ..~**$£@@#
###¤%^;~,¨                                          ¨,~;^%¤###
@£^\-^¨,,, forests around my  childhood home. thick ,,,¨^-\^£@
##@§*==~,. pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and .,~==*§@##
@£§#£=*«^.      forgotten. wild boars roaming       .^«*=£#§£@
@@£¤%§*«~. underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it .~«*§%¤£@@
##@#£%===, is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having ,===%£#@##
¤&%%^^\=~. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .~=\^^%%&¤
##@¤%%=~~¨                                          ¨~~=%%¤@##
¤=~,-..,.. there's a  river passing  by, from  east ..,..-,~=¤
###¤¤$/»,, 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.              ,.~†*@§###
##£¤$*/»-¨                                          ¨-»/*$¤£##
@#&§&*^=,¨                                          ¨,=^*&§&#@
¤&*%~=.¨.,                                          ,.¨.=~%*&¤
¶¤§§%$;-,¨                                          ¨,-;$%§§¤¶
#@#§%*^~~¨                                          ¨~~^*%§#@#
#§$†=.~¨,.                                          .,¨~.=†$§#