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