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