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