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