#@@&*§†=,,                                          ,,=†§*&@@#
####£%†~^,                                          ,^~†%£####
#@¶@$%=~:.                                          .:~=%$@¶@#
#@#¤&$/~,.                                          .,~/$&¤#@#
##¶#%$\«,.                                          .,«\$%#¶##
###§¤^*-~.                statuette                 .~-*^¤§###
#@@£&%^»,.                                          .,»^%&£@@#
##@#$†=«,. £%$§$&**$$£%$%£@~-~~=-~-%%£¤&££¤%§¤$%*¤$ .,«=†$#@##
###¤$†*-:¨                £§&$%£§¤¤                 ¨:-*†$¤###
##£@¤^†».¨                                          ¨.»†^¤@£##
##¶@¤^†~,¨ forests  around my childhood home. thick ¨,~†^¤@¶##
#@£&$$†=,. 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.              ¨,~;^£¤###
##@§£=\-^¨                                          ¨^-\=£§@##
####*†;~,.                                          .,~;†*####
###£§==«:.                                          .:«==§£###
##@@@$*~:¨                                          ¨:~*$@@@##
#$£†~¨,...                                          ...,¨~†£$#
###§%*^«,¨                                          ¨,«^*%§###