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