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