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