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