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