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