££$&:^^:.,                                          ,.:^^:&$££
##@@¤*;~.,                                          ,.~;*¤@@##
#@£§$$/=^.                                          .^=/$$§£@#
###¤&%;=-¨                                          ¨-=;%&¤###
£@=^$*/=^¨                                          ¨^=/*$^=@£
##£&$†\-..                statuette                 ..-\†$&£##
#@@#%%/»^¨                                          ¨^»/%%#@@#
###§£$;»-, £%%§$@¤£££&£§%§$«~«~-«»=%*$¤@%%*£@§§§£@* ,-»;$£§###
&†§=:.^,..                $£*$%&%@%                 ..,^.:=§†&
@¤£/~.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.~/£¤@
##§*$«^.¨. forests  around my childhood home. thick .¨.^«$*§##
#@$¤==^~,, pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ,,~^==¤$@#
¤#@¤=,¨¨.,       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.              .,¨.¨.~$¤¤
#§&§~¨¨,,.                                          .,,¨¨~§&§#
¶#^=^*,::.                                          .::,*^=^#¶
###§£=*~,.                                          .,~*=£§###
##£#§%\».¨                                          ¨.»\%§#£##
##@&&%†=:,                                          ,:=†%&&@##
##¶§%*=~,,                                          ,,~=*%§¶##