#£@%~^.¨.,                                          ,.¨.^~%@£#
#£$%%:\-.,                                          ,.-\:%%$£#
##¶¤&*\-^,                                          ,^-\*&¤¶##
#¤%@:-,~,.                                          .,~,-:@%¤#
#§§§=¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨=§§§#
£*$=.,¨¨..                statuette                 ..¨¨,.=$*£
#£§†~=¨,,,                                          ,,,¨=~†§£#
#&¤£†^*-^¨ ¤%¤£$£¤$%¤£&$$£$«==-««»«£&£$%@$£@$%@%&@$ ¨^-*^†£¤&#
###@%*:~~,                $&@%$$%%&                 ,~~:*%@###
@#¶¤%%;»,.                                          .,»;%%¤¶#@
###¤$*\~^¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨^~\*$¤###
£$†=,¨.,¨, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,¨,.¨,=†$£
¶#@¤&^*=:.      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.              ¨-~^^†$§@@
¶¶#£$%;~,.                                          .,~;%$£#¶¶
##££%**»:¨                                          ¨:»**%££##
#¶£§$§^»-.                                          .-»^§$§£¶#
#=^«~:.^¨.                                          .¨^.:~«^=#
##¶#§*\»^.                                          .^»\*§#¶##
#§%=;»-^.¨                                          ¨.^-»;=%§#