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