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