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