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