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