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