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