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