##£#£†\~,¨                                          ¨,~\†£#£##
#¶£$\†=~,,                                          ,,~=†\$£¶#
##£&$%/«^¨                                          ¨^«/%$&£##
@#¶#*%\=.¨                                          ¨.=\%*#¶#@
§@*::=~,-¨                                          ¨-,~=::*@§
###&%§/=~,                 statuette                ,~=/§%&###
#¶@§*§*=,.                                          .,=*§*§@¶#
##@£§$*«:, £¤*£$*¤%$%¤*£$*£~»«~»»~~*%£¤£§§%%&*$§%¤@ ,:«*$§£@##
###&¤†=«-¨                %£@&£%£&%                 ¨-«=†¤&###
§^/~,¨.¨.,                                          ,.¨.¨,~/^§
£*%^«.^.,, forests around my childhood home.  thick ,,.^.«^%*£
###§$%*=., 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.              .¨,,,,«§%§
##£@%%\-.,                                          ,.-\%%@£##
@$†»~-,:.¨                                          ¨.:,-~»†$@
##¶§£†\=,,                                          ,,=\†£§¶##
§%=-.,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,.-=%§
##@@§%$\-,                                          ,-\$%§@@##
##¤$=;,~,,                                          ,,~,;=$¤##