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