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