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