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