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