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