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