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