##¶@£§/«~,                                          ,~«/§£@¶##
#¤§\~~....                                          ....~~\§¤#
#@¶§$%*~-,                                          ,-~*%$§¶@#
#@@££*/~~¨                                          ¨~~/*££@@#
##@£%=^=-.                                          .-=^=%£@##
#@@@%*\=-¨                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 ,:=*=¤@###
#¤§§$†;»:¨ particle board  for  it  to dry  on, but ¨:»;†$§§¤#
##¶#%$\~^¨ she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ¨^~\$%#¶##
##£&£†;~..              throw it away.              ..~;†£&£##
#¤§§%^=«:¨                                          ¨:«=^%§§¤#
###¤%*;=..                                          ..=;*%¤###
##¶&$§\«-¨                                          ¨-«\§$&¶##
##¶@%%:=,¨                                          ¨,=:%%@¶##
£§§=~»,,¨.                                          .¨,,»~=§§£
¶%^«¨,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,¨«^%¶