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