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