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