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