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