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