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