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