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