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