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