##$*%=^-:,                                          ,:-^=%*$##
§$*-,,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,,-*$§
#£@$§=~=~¨                                          ¨~=~=§$@£#
#@@@%==-^¨                                          ¨^-==%@@@#
##¶§§^^~,.                                          .,~^^§§¶##
@@#@¤*^~:¨                 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.              ,,~*=%@@##
¶¶§$*†/~,.                                          .,~/†*$§¶¶
#@##$*†=,¨                                          ¨,=†*$##@#
##@#£%†«~¨                                          ¨~«†%£#@##
##@#@%†~.¨                                          ¨.~†%@#@##
£$=%~^¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨^~%=$£
¤¤^~-^,,.,                                          ,.,,^-~^¤¤