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