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