###§¤**=,,                                          ,,=**¤§###
#§*-~,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,~-*§#
@#%^^%:=:¨                                          ¨:=:%^^%#@
#@##&*\=^,                                          ,^=\*&##@#
#@&@*$=~:,                                          ,:~=$*@&@#
##@§$*^=^.                 statuette                .^=^*$§@##
##§%*\^.¨¨                                          ¨¨.^\*%§##
@¤==.¨,.., £%@¤%@§*£**%$££$=«»-~~-=$$%$%§%£*%£*£¤&£ ,..,¨.==¤@
£$%^»«^~:.                 $%&¤$@&$£                .:~^«»^%$£
##£¤§^\»,¨                                          ¨,»\^§¤£##
##§§^»^.¨¨ forests around my childhood home.  thick ¨¨.^»^§§##
####¤^*«-¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨-«*^¤####
###@*%†«,.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .,«†%*@###
@%^$$-~,., 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.              .:=^£§#@##
#¶##&$=~~¨                                          ¨~~=$&##¶#
##£#$=*~^.                                          .^~*=$#£##
#@¶¤*%^=-.                                          .-=^%*¤¶@#
###£££†»-¨                                          ¨-»†£££###
####%=\«.¨                                          ¨.«\=%####
###¶¤%†~,.                                          .,~†%¤¶###