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