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