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