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