###¶#$;~..                                          ..~;$#¶###
#@#&*=~:.¨                                          ¨.:~=*&#@#
@#§**«^,.,                                          ,.,^«**§#@
¶&§;»,,...                                          ...,,»;§&¶
@*\-~,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,~-\*@
@¤†;»..¨..                 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, ,,,..~-^$§
££=*=-,¨.¨ and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ¨.¨,-=*=££
@#£^:=^,¨,             other belongings.            ,¨,^=:^£#@
#@¶@†;-:.¨                                          ¨.:-;†@¶@#
###£#†*=^¨ it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ¨^=*†#£###
###&^†«,¨, on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ,¨,«†^&###
##£^:~,¨.,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,.¨,~:^£##
¶¤^;~~,,,, freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ,,,,~~;^¤¶
#=/»,,..¨.                                          .¨..,,»/=#
£&%^~~.,,¨ my mom is here now. i  ask her for  some ¨,,.~~^%&£
##§=;=.¨., particle  board for  it  to dry  on, but ,.¨.=;=§##
####%;=,.¨ she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ¨.,=;%####
##@#§^;=.¨              throw it away.              ¨.=;^§#@##
#@#&%†»~,.                                          .,~»†%&#@#
##¤§=-^¨¨,                                          ,¨¨^-=§¤##
@§$/~,..¨,                                          ,¨..,~/$§@
£%=-~¨,...                                          ...,¨~-=%£
#@%*~~.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.~~*%@#
##§§\~-.¨.                                          .¨.-~\§§##