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