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