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