###¤@*^-,.                                          .,-^*@¤###
¶§¤$/^--..                                          ..--^/$¤§¶
#@@£&*†~,,                                          ,,~†*&£@@#
###§&*\~^,                                          ,^~\*&§###
###¤%=^~..                                          ..~^=%¤###
###£%*;~,,                 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. ¨~~~/$&§¶@
#@¶§§^;~~.                                          .~~;^§§¶@#
@§==~^¨¨¨¨ my mom  is  here now. i ask her for some ¨¨¨¨^~==§@
@§:†:,,.,, particle  board for  it  to dry  on, but ,,.,,:†:§@
##@@#†^»,, she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ,,»^†#@@##
@#¤;:=,,¨.              throw it away.              .¨,,=:;¤#@
#%~-:.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.:-~%#
#@£#@†^»..                                          ..»^†@#£@#
###@£%*=,,                                          ,,=*%£@###
#@£§%$*-:,                                          ,:-*$%§£@#
##@¤£$\»^¨                                          ¨^»\$£¤@##
#@&¤^†.,..                                          ..,.†^¤&@#