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