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