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