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