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