##@§%==«:.                                          .:«==%§@##
@#¶£%§;=,,                                          ,,=;§%£¶#@
#¶#¤@**»~¨                                          ¨~»**@¤#¶#
##¶@*^*«,.                                          .,«*^*@¶##
##@@¤*†~:,                                          ,:~†*¤@@##
##¶&*$;»,¨                 statuette                ¨,»;$*&¶##
£#§££^\~.¨                                          ¨.~\^££§#£
#£^\~¨,... £&%&&&%§&$£%§£§@«~~=-~-~§%@$&*&&@&&@§*%£ ...,¨~\^£#
@§%*.,.,.¨                 §*@*@$&§§                ¨.,.,.*%§@
¤%;~.,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,.~;%¤
###£*%/~.¨ forests  around my childhood home. thick ¨.~/%*£###
£@¤†$\»-., 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   .,«;^$@@##
#@&;^^-.,. freshly made, not yet completely  dried. .,.-^^;&@#
###£%%/-.¨                                          ¨.-/%%£###
###@£%;~^. my  mom is here now. i ask  her for some .^~;%£@###
#£$£$=\~:, particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but ,:~\=$£$£#
##@#@&†»^¨ she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ¨^»†&@#@##
#@@££*^~,¨              throw it away.              ¨,~^*££@@#
#@#@**=--.                                          .--=**@#@#
##@¤%§==.,                                          ,.==§%¤@##
#@¶&*^^«-.                                          .-«^^*&¶@#
#£$†:^:-¨,                                          ,¨-:^:†$£#
@£/«^.,,¨,                                          ,¨,,.^«/£@
#@$\«,,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,,«\$@#