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