£¤=†%:†«~,                                          ,~«†:%†=¤£
##@¤*^†~:¨                                          ¨:~†^*¤@##
##@§£=*~,¨                                          ¨,~*=£§@##
###&§=†=:¨                                          ¨:=†=§&###
#@#£*†=-,¨                                          ¨,-=†*£#@#
#@£¤%^*~-¨                 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.             ..,~^%^$£#
@%~-.¨,¨,.                                          .,¨,¨.-~%@
#£§==«,¨¨, it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ,¨¨,«==§£#
##=^-..,,¨ on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ¨,,..-^=##
##@¤¤*/»~,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,~»/*¤¤@##
@§%&==,,¨, freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ,¨,,==&%§@
#@§†~»~:,,                                          ,,:~»~†§@#
@#£§~:¨... my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some ...¨:~§£#@
###@&£^-:¨ particle  board  for  it  to dry on, but ¨:-^£&@###
#%£%@§;-,, she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to ,,-;§@%£%#
##&¤*=^~~,              throw it away.              ,~~^=*¤&##
#@@@%%^~^¨                                          ¨^~^%%@@@#
&£¤@§^^«~,                                          ,~«^^§@¤£&
@#££¤=/~-.                                          .-~/=¤££#@
#@@&£*\~^¨                                          ¨^~\*£&@@#
@#£$%;~-,¨                                          ¨,-~;%$£#@
##£#%†;=~¨                                          ¨~=;†%#£##