##£#£*†«..                                          ..«†*£#£##
##¶££$=~:.                                          .:~=$££¶##
@#§*%^†=,,                                          ,,=†^%*§#@
#£;==~~..¨                                          ¨..~~==;£#
#@*%»~¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨~»%*@#
@&$»,,,,,¨                 statuette                ¨,,,,,»$&@
#$%†\:.,.¨                                          ¨.,.:\†%$#
@£=-~^.,., @£££§$$%§£¤@§£%$=«-=«~««$¤@££$£@%%*£@¤£% ,.,.^~-=£@
#£@&£=;«^¨                 §*@$*%%%*                ¨^«;=£&@£#
###@&%:~-.                                          .-~:%&@###
#@@@@*^=^. 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 ,¨.~/;*&$&
¶#@£/†:.¨, particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but ,¨.:†/£@#¶
£¤@;«¨,¨,, she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ,,¨,¨«;@¤£
#&=~:^,¨¨,              throw it away.              ,¨¨,^:~=&#
#@@¤@$†~.,                                          ,.~†$@¤@@#
###£§*/~~¨                                          ¨~~/*§£###
#@@@¤§;~-.                                          .-~;§¤@@@#
###£§%/~.,                                          ,.~/%§£###
##@§£*†-,,                                          ,,-†*£§@##
£&@&%*;-^.                                          .^-;*%&@&£