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