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