#*$*;^^..¨                                          ¨..^^;*$*#
#@#^§†:.:,                                          ,:.:†§^#@#
###£¤%=»:,                                          ,:»=%¤£###
£&£&¤=^~:¨                                          ¨:~^=¤&£&£
##@&$=/-,¨                                          ¨,-/=$&@##
##&^†;=,..                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 ,,~,.-^^$#
##@@@*^~~, she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ,~~^*@@@##
¤%~~:,,,.,              throw it away.              ,.,,,:~~%¤
#£#&:~=«:.                                          .:«=~:&#£#
####%§^~-¨                                          ¨-~^§%####
#@@%~«^~..                                          ..~^«~%@@#
#&£§$%*=^,                                          ,^=*%$§£&#
####@=:«^¨                                          ¨^«:=@####
###&*^†»^¨                                          ¨^»†^*&###