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