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