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