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