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