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