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