@£*~»-~,..                                          ..,~-»~*£@
@&£§=-«...                                          ...«-=§£&@
###§§*:=,.                                          .,=:*§§###
###&¤%^~^,                                          ,^~^%¤&###
#&£¤%%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%%¤£&#
##£#$$;»~¨                statuette                 ¨~»;$$#£##
#@@§%=:«^.                                          .^«:=%§@@#
§&%;*-~.¨, $&$%¤¤*£¤@&*%&*¤~=--«~~=%$§£$&$&%*%&$¤$£ ,¨.~-*;%&§
#£$†~¨,¨,.                 $%$*%*%££                .,¨,¨~†$£#
##££$^=»^,                                          ,^»=^$££##
#@£¤§†==.. forests around my  childhood home. thick ..==†§¤£@#
###@§^^~.. pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ..~^^§@###
§*=~...¨.¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨.¨...~=*§
##%@§\,,,¨ underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it ¨,,,\§@%##
¶$==-:-,¨, 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 ,¨¨,-::=$@
###¤**:=:¨ the  house,   not   yet  really  in  the ¨:=:**¤###
#@@£**\~-. backyard. from  my pockets i retrieve my .-~\**£@@#
##@@@%=~,. radio (now  dented)  but  also  a  small .,~=%@@@##
##£@¤=:--¨ clay figure  i've never seen  before. it ¨--:=¤@£##
###@&*==,¨ must have been laying in  the wet  dirt, ¨,==*&@###
#@@@%^:~-. and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my .-~:^%@@@#
£@=§*~^:,.             other belongings.            .,:^~*§=@£
###¤$§*=-¨                                          ¨-=*§$¤###
##@&@%^-,. it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked .,-^%@&@##
¤§¤¤%%†~:, on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ,:~†%%¤¤§¤
##@@£*=«-,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,-«=*£@@##
###£&%^=». freshly  made, not yet completely dried. .»=^%&£###
##¶¤@=\=^,                                          ,^=\=@¤¶##
#@¶&*^†~,. my mom  is here now.  i ask her for some .,~†^*&¶@#
#@@&¤^†~-. particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but .-~†^¤&@@#
##¶£§§/«^¨ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ¨^«/§§£¶##
##@££*:»,¨              throw it away.              ¨,»:*££@##
@##£%^\»^,                                          ,^»\^%£##@
####£†:«-,                                          ,-«:†£####
#¤†^;=.¨,,                                          ,,¨.=;^†¤#
¤£^--.,.,¨                                          ¨,.,.--^£¤
###£¤$=-^¨                                          ¨^-=$¤£###
¶&=%~^¨¨..                                          ..¨¨^~%=&¶