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