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