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