#¤£*^†~,,,                                          ,,,~†^*£¤#
#=::/^-..¨                                          ¨..-^/::=#
#¤^:..,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,..:^¤#
##£#§*^=.¨                                          ¨.=^*§#£##
####£%;~^¨                                          ¨^~;%£####
#¤%^\-..¨,                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 .~»;=¤§¶##
##@£$%\~-. she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to .-~\%$£@##
##@£$*^~~,              throw it away.              ,~~^*$£@##
#§@&:-.¨,,                                          ,,¨.-:&@§#
##@§**=«..                                          ..«=**§@##
&$^~~««^:.                                          .:^««~~^$&
#@£&&§\»~¨                                          ¨~»\§&&£@#
@&^†^:«^,¨                                          ¨,^«:^†^&@
##@#$†\»^.                                          .^»\†$#@##