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