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