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