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