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