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