#@@£$†;~,¨                                          ¨,~;†$£@@#
##@&&§\»,.                                          .,»\§&&@##
#@@&§*†=,¨                                          ¨,=†*§&@@#
##£&$†/».¨                                          ¨.»/†$&£##
#@#¤£=*«^.                                          .^«*=£¤#@#
#$:=/~:,,,                statuette                 ,,,:~/=:$#
###§§%\~,¨                                          ¨,~\%§§###
@#@@%=†=,¨ £§&%¤%%%£$@@£%*£~»«~~»=~*£££$%&$%%*£&$@$ ¨,=†=%@@#@
##@#@§\-~,                £%@%$%£@§                 ,~-\§@#@##
##@#$*/~^¨                                          ¨^~/*$#@##
##@¤@%*~,. forests around my  childhood home. thick .,~*%@¤@##
##@£@£*†-, pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ,-†*£@£@##
£¤£*:--..¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨..--:*£¤£
#@&**†*~-, underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it ,-~*†**&@#
##@@%%†~:¨ is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having ¨:~†%%@@##
#@¶§@%:~~, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,~~:%@§¶@#
##@§$*\~:¨                                          ¨:~\*$§@##
##@£¤**=:, there's a  river passing  by, from  east ,:=**¤£@##
@&%†:«-»:¨ to west, getting broader  and deeper and ¨:»-«:†%&@
¤*:/«^.,., slower as it goes.  equisetum grow  just ,.,.^«/:*¤
@&£†,:.... where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let ....:,†£&@
#@¶£$%\«-¨ 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 .,-†*£&@##
#@#£$§;--.              throw it away.              .--;§$£#@#
##£&¤†*«,.                                          .,«*†¤&£##
@%/=.¨¨,,,                                          ,,,¨¨.=/%@
##£¤&†;=^¨                                          ¨^=;†&¤£##
#@#&£^=~:¨                                          ¨:~=^£&#@#
#@@¤$§:»,¨                                          ¨,»:§$¤@@#
####&*†~^,                                          ,^~†*&####