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