##@£$*^-^¨                                          ¨^-^*$£@##
###%$\-:¨,                                          ,¨:-\$%###
@§*=†«.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.«†=*§@
§$^†=^,¨..                                          ..¨,^=†^$§
@§&§^~-...                                          ...-~^§&§@
#@¤*=^-,.,                 statuette                ,.,-^=*¤@#
##@&@†=~~.                                          .~~=†@&@##
#@¤£%:=~,¨ £&§@@@$§¤$§$@§£§~«==~«=»£*§¤£$£@£%£$£%%£ ¨,~=:%£¤@#
£¤%%\-~,,¨                 ¤¤%£$%%£%                ¨,,~-\%%¤£
@%%^-~..,.                                          .,..~-^%%@
¶#%*†-~¨,. forests around my  childhood home. thick .,¨~-†*%#¶
##&*†/«.¨. pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and .¨.«/†*&##
##£#£^;~~,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,~~;^£#£##
#££$†^~... 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.              ,.-;*&§@##
##@@%*~~¨,                                          ,¨~~*%@@##
¶#&†;~-¨.¨                                          ¨.¨-~;†&#¶
#£^=~~,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,~~=^£#
££§%=~,,,.                                          .,,,~=%§££
#¶¤$%/»:¨,                                          ,¨:»/%$¤¶#
###£@=;~.¨                                          ¨.~;=@£###