#$;,,^,..,                                          ,..,^,,;$#
#@¶§£$:=.¨                                          ¨.=:$£§¶@#
#@@@£%†~^¨                                          ¨^~†%£@@@#
£&@*,¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨,*@&£
¶£^\»..,¨¨                                          ¨¨,..»\^£¶
£%%*$%^~.¨                 statuette                ¨.~^%$*%%£
#@£&£$^~:.                                          .:~^$£&£@#
@§*-,.,¨¨¨ £%&&¤$$&£*££*&*$~«=~-»~«*%&££%$§§%$@££$@ ¨¨¨,.,-*§@
###§%*\=..                §$£§£$§@¤                 ..=\*%§###
##@@%%†«:.                                          .:«†%%@@##
£%$*\^:,^. forests around my childhood  home. thick .^,:^\*$%£
#@¶@§^^~.¨ 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 ,,,.¨-=*$£
#@*=.,^:¨¨              throw it away.              ¨¨:^,.=*@#
###&$=:«..                                          ..«:=$&###
£$%%-...,¨                                          ¨,...-%%$£
#@£#¤**«,¨                                          ¨,«**¤#£@#
#@@@¤%;~,,                                          ,,~;%¤@@@#
#@¶&@$/--.                                          .--/$@&¶@#
#¤*†=,~,.¨                                          ¨.,~,=†*¤#