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