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