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