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