£&£¤^:^,,.                                          .,,^:^¤£&£
#@£§%%:~-,                                          ,-~:%%§£@#
#£%=,,...¨                                          ¨...,,=%£#
@@†==-,,.¨                                          ¨.,,-==†@@
#@£¤%^†».¨                                          ¨.»†^%¤£@#
#@@§~,,,.,                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 ,¨.^,,.;=¤
#@@@$=*«~. particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but .~«*=$@@@#
#@@&$^:=,¨ she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to ¨,=:^$&@@#
@£*¤$§=«^,              throw it away.              ,^«=§$¤*£@
@£#£¤*=~~¨                                          ¨~~=*¤£#£@
####@&;=:¨                                          ¨:=;&@####
##£&£=*-,,                                          ,,-*=£&£##
@£¤†-¨¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨¨-†¤£@
##%*^=~¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨~=^*%##
##@£¤†;=,¨                                          ¨,=;†¤£@##