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