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