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