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