£&*,^,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,^,*&£
#@#§£^:~,¨                                          ¨,~:^£§#@#
##@£%§:»~¨                                          ¨~»:§%£@##
@@¤*=:.¨,,                                          ,,¨.:=*¤@@
@¶##*%;-^,                                          ,^-;%*##¶@
&$†:,.,¨,,                 statuette                ,,¨,.,:†$&
#@#¤¤%/=~,                                          ,~=/%¤¤#@#
#*=»-..,.¨ %%$*§¤£&@£$$££%%-«~~«~«-£@§@&&%$$$$£§&£¤ ¨.,..-»=*#
###¤$†=«-¨                $$$£%£¤§$                 ¨-«=†$¤###
£@@££§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§££@@£
#@@§@%;=., forests around  my childhood home. thick ,.=;%@§@@#
&&%%^»-¨,. pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and .,¨-»^%%&&
#*¤%†»..¨,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,¨..»†%¤*#
###¤&§:»,, underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ,,»:§&¤###
§%%§*=†-,, is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having ,,-†=*§%%§
#$%««.,.,¨ 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.              ,.,,.«~»=@
§*=-,.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.,-=*§
##@¶&$=~-,                                          ,-~=$&¶@##
#^$\».,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.»\$^#
#@#@£%=-^,                                          ,^-=%£@#@#
#§$$$**«:,                                          ,:«**$$$§#
##£#§^^«^¨                                          ¨^«^^§#£##