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