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