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