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