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