###£%*:~,.                                          .,~:*%£###
##¶$%;~-,.                                          .,-~;%$¶##
#££^^~^,¨,                                          ,¨,^~^^££#
@&^;~~.,.¨                                          ¨.,.~~;^&@
£%/-.,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,.-/%£
%^=,...¨,,                 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 ,¨,«=%%@##
###@$*==:.              throw it away.              .:==*$@###
#@¶$*†»^¨,                                          ,¨^»†*$¶@#
#£§§\~~,,¨                                          ¨,,~~\§§£#
#%=:~:.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.:~:=%#
@†=»:,,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,,:»=†@
=:~.¨..¨¨.                                          .¨¨..¨.~:=
\=~,,¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨,,~=\