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