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