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