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