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