###£§*^«,.                                          .,«^*§£###
###@&$;«-¨                                          ¨-«;$&@###
##@#£=\=..                                          ..=\=£#@##
¤^†\^:¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨:^\†^¤
@£*&&%:~.¨                                          ¨.~:%&&*£@
#¶¤%$=;=~¨                 statuette                ¨~=;=$%¤¶#
#@£¤*$*«:,                                          ,:«*$*¤£@#
##@@&%;~^, $§$¤%@&§$$§¤$$**~»~~~»~-%%%¤%£§¤££¤$*£$§ ,^~;%&@@##
##@¤%††=..                @$%&$¤$%¤                 ..=††%¤@##
#@@@%§*--¨                                          ¨--*§%@@@#
##££%**~~, forests around  my childhood home. thick ,~~**%££##
##@@£^/=~¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨~=/^£@@##
###&*$^»,,       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.              ¨:=†**¤#@#
@#@#§†*«,¨                                          ¨,«*†§#@#@
¶#¤†;=.,¨.                                          .¨,.=;†¤#¶
#@#&¤^^»~¨                                          ¨~»^^¤&#@#
§@†*^^.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.^^*†@§
###&%%:-,.                                          .,-:%%&###
##¶¤$^\=:.                                          .:=\^$¤¶##