#@£#¤§*~..                                          ..~*§¤#£@#
§^=...,.,¨                                          ¨,.,...=^§
##§$&†;~:,                                          ,:~;†&$§##
#@@&§%:~,.                                          .,~:%§&@@#
###&$=;-:¨                                          ¨:-;=$&###
#£*;..^¨..                 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 ,-~*%&@#@@
@¤£§=$†«,¨ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ¨,«†$=§£¤@
§$:.¨¨¨¨¨.              throw it away.              .¨¨¨¨¨.:$§
£$/:~¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨~:/$£
###§£†^~:.                                          .:~^†£§###
#¤=,.,.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.,.,=¤#
##$%†*==..                                          ..==*†%$##
####£§/~:¨                                          ¨:~/§£####
#@#&¤^/~~,                                          ,~~/^¤&#@#