¶@$%/*=«..                                          ..«=*/%$@¶
##£@%%/»~.                                          .~»/%%@£##
£¶*§%=-«^.                                          .^«-=%§*¶£
##@&%%/~~,                                          ,~~/%%&@##
§£:~,.,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,.,~:£§
££@&$=^~,,                 statuette                ,,~^=$&@££
#¤§«~.^¨,,                                          ,,¨^.~«§¤#
@@#¤=/~=^. ¤£&*$@$*£&$&£%§*-~»»»-~«¤%*&$%$@$*£¤§*&* .^=~/=¤#@@
#¤££%=.,,¨                *@**$%%%%                 ¨,,.=%££¤#
#%^=†,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,†=^%#
@£§=^.,..¨ forests around my childhood  home. thick ¨..,.^=§£@
##£§**/~.. pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ..~/**§£##
§&£%£†^»^.      forgotten. wild boars roaming       .^»^†£%£&§
##@¤&†=~^, underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ,^~=†&¤@##
#@=^=,,.,. is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having .,.,,=^=@#
#@£¤§§†«,¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨,«†§§¤£@#
##@@@§^=:,                                          ,:=^§@@@##
##£&@^^~^. there's a river  passing by,  from  east .^~^^@&£##
###¤*=†-~¨ to west, getting broader and deeper  and ¨~-†=*¤###
###§¤^†~,¨ slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just ¨,~†^¤§###
£§**^:^.,, where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let ,,.^:^**§£
#@¶£$%*~^. 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.              ¨.,.»†\^%#
@%-.,,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,,.-%@
¤£/:-¨,¨.,                                          ,.¨,¨-:/£¤
#@@§&†=»,,                                          ,,»=†&§@@#
###&%=/-~¨                                          ¨~-/=%&###
#£¤\^^,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,^^\¤£#
££=†»,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,»†=££