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