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