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