##@£&$%=~~                                          ~~=%$&£@##
#@@£%§\~-¨                                          ¨-~\§%£@@#
#¶£¤=*=^¨.                                          .¨^=*=¤£¶#
¶@*=;~:¨,¨                                          ¨,¨:~;=*@¶
§$%^»^.¨.,                                          ,.¨.^»^%$§
*$/=,¨..¨.                statuette                 .¨..¨,=/$*
*==~,,,.¨.                                          .¨.,,,~==*
^~,¨.,,,¨¨ $¤¤$££*$*%¤§%@£&«-~»«~«-$%$*£¤%§§@&£*§$£ ¨¨,,,.¨,~^
*:=,..,,¨,                §@$§@£%%$                 ,¨,,..,=:*
$=/»,,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,,»/=$
§$%=~-.,,, forests  around my childhood home. thick ,,,.-~=%$§
#£$^=«-¨¨. pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and .¨¨-«=^$£#
#@£@^*«:¨,       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.              ..,~†%£¤£#
@#$$\-^..¨                                          ¨..^-\$$#@
¤§^^»-,,.,                                          ,.,,-»^^§¤
$**=^¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨^=**$
*/=^,,,,..                                          ..,,,,^=/*
†=..¨,¨,,,                                          ,,,¨,¨..=†
=†=:¨..,¨¨                                          ¨¨,..¨:=†=