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