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