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