¤†~^¨¨¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨¨¨^~†¤
@#@@£$=».¨                                          ¨.»=$£@@#@
##¶@&§/~^.                                          .^~/§&@¶##
###&£*/~^,                                          ,^~/*£&###
#@§=\~¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨~\=§@#
##@§$†/~^,                 statuette                ,^~/†$§@##
##£#£^^~~,                                          ,~~^^£#£##
##@&£*\~,, %&§&$*%£%%%£&%£¤»=«»»~««£%**$%§%%£*%%§%& ,,~\*£&@##
#@@£@%†~.,                 &$$&¤¤£$*                ,.~†%@£@@#
&%%*«¨.,¨,                                          ,¨,.¨«*%%&
#@@§*^:~:. forests around  my childhood home. thick .:~:^*§@@#
###@%^/-.¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨.-/^%@###
##¶@%=;~:,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,:~;=%@¶##
#@£#@*\~~, underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ,~~\*@#£@#
@¶¶&£$;»~, 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.              ,-~==£&¤@@
###§&†;»~.                                          .~»;†&§###
####&%:»-¨                                          ¨-»:%&####
#£&@£%:-,.                                          .,-:%£@&£#
##@@§%^~:¨                                          ¨:~^%§@@##
@£§&%§;»,,                                          ,,»;§%&§£@
##¶§@%/=^.                                          .^=/%@§¶##