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