#@¶£$†/«:¨                                          ¨:«/†$£¶@#
#£§^*\\~-,                                          ,-~\\*^§£#
#£@&**\=~,                                          ,~=\**&@£#
##@&*^†«,¨                                          ¨,«†^*&@##
#@##§$=~-,                                          ,-~=$§##@#
£#$%*$\~.,                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 ¨,~††*&@##
#@@@$^†~^. on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, .^~†^$@@@#
@$†-,.¨..,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,..¨.,-†$@
##@¤$*†«~, freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ,~«†*$¤@##
&%†=.,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,.=†%&
@£$\«¨.,¨, my  mom is  here now. i ask her for some ,¨,.¨«\$£@
@@¤^:,,¨,¨ particle board  for  it to dry  on,  but ¨,¨,,:^¤@@
##@£§¤:«,, she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ,,«:¤§£@##
###£%†/»-,              throw it away.              ,-»/†%£###
@£&=%/*»~¨                                          ¨~»*/%=&£@
##@@¤**«:,                                          ,:«**¤@@##
¤£^†=-~.,¨                                          ¨,.~-=†^£¤
#@#£$§\«,¨                                          ¨,«\§$£#@#
###¤$^†=,.                                          .,=†^$¤###
£@^»=^,...                                          ...,^=»^@£