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