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