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