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