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