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