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