££@%$/=-.,                                          ,.-=/$%@££
##£@*$*«~¨                                          ¨~«*$*@£##
##@@%^^»,,                                          ,,»^^%@@##
@#¤***†«:,                                          ,:«†***¤#@
#£&:†^=~:.                                          .:~=^†:&£#
##@@&†\~.¨                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 ¨.¨--=¤$&@
###¤%*\~:, particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but ,:~\*%¤###
@££†;«,..¨ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ¨..,«;†££@
#£&@†^;»,.              throw it away.              .,»;^†@&£#
###¶£¤†~-¨                                          ¨-~†¤£¶###
##£&$^†~:,                                          ,:~†^$&£##
###£¤*;~..                                          ..~;*¤£###
#&%~«~-.,¨                                          ¨,.-~«~%&#
##@@@=^~,,                                          ,,~^=@@@##
#@£&£*=-.¨                                          ¨.-=*£&£@#