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