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