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