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