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