#@£#%*†»^,                                          ,^»†*%#£@#
#@#§&†\«,.                                          .,«\†&§#@#
#@££*=.,.,                                          ,.,.=*££@#
##£&$%:=.¨                                          ¨.=:%$&£##
##@§¤*\-..                                          ..-\*¤§@##
@#†~-¨..,,                 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 ¨,.¨..=†§#
@$$=*†~-.. she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ..-~†*=$$@
##@£$%;»~,              throw it away.              ,~»;%$£@##
#@@#&$*~,.                                          .,~*$&#@@#
#@@§$*/--,                                          ,--/*$§@@#
£¤$§:-..¨,                                          ,¨..-:§$¤£
@&§%/-,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,-/%§&@
###@§†*«,¨                                          ¨,«*†§@###
@#@&%†/»,¨                                          ¨,»/†%&@#@