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