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