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