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