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