#£%:=.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.=:%£#
##$$:=^¨¨,                                          ,¨¨^=:$$##
##@&&%*~.¨                                          ¨.~*%&&@##
¶@¤&/^^...                                          ...^^/&¤@¶
@£@¤¤**=..                                          ..=**¤¤@£@
##£@@*/~^,                 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 .,¨.-:\&%#
££&%=$:-^. she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to .^-:$=%&££
#&$=-~:.¨.              throw it away.              .¨.:~-=$&#
#¶@**»-.-¨                                          ¨-.-»**@¶#
¤@¤$†,¨,,,                                          ,,,¨,†$¤@¤
##@#$%*».¨                                          ¨.»*%$#@##
##¶#%§/=:.                                          .:=/§%#¶##
##@@¤&%=,.                                          .,=%&¤@@##
##£@%*/«:¨                                          ¨:«/*%@£##