##@#&=†«~,                                          ,~«†=&#@##
@@@%*==~..                                          ..~==*%@@@
#@¶@$^†~~.                                          .~~†^$@¶@#
#£§¤†:«:,,                                          ,,:«:†¤§£#
####$*==~.                                          .~==*$####
#@&*^=«~¨¨                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 ,,^-††$&##
#@@§¤%/~:. must have been laying  in the  wet dirt, .:~/%¤§@@#
@#§£=^»~.. and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ..~»^=£§#@
###&%*=»:.            other belongings.             .:»=*%&###
#@£%=:~^..                                          ..^~:=%£@#
##@&¤=\-., it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ,.-\=¤&@##
@@¤£§/~.¨, on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ,¨.~/§£¤@@
###@§%†»-¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨-»†%§@###
@@&%=:=.¨. freshly made, not  yet completely dried. .¨.=:=%&@@
##££&$^«-,                                          ,-«^$&££##
##&%*=~~.. my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ..~~=*%&##
##£@*^^~^. particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but .^~^^*@£##
#¶§§§=~,¨¨ she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ¨¨,~=§§§¶#
#@¶#%§==,¨              throw it away.              ¨,==§%#¶@#
#@#§^:-.,.                                          .,.-:^§#@#
##@££=:~.,                                          ,.~:=££@##
##¤$%=»-.¨                                          ¨.-»=%$¤##
###§£^/«,.                                          .,«/^£§###
@#¤**/~:¨,                                          ,¨:~/**¤#@
#@¶&§=/~^¨                                          ¨^~/=§&¶@#