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