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