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