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