##@&@*/=~¨                                          ¨~=/*@&@##
£@¤%;«=~:.                                          .:~=«;%¤@£
#@£¤£%*«-¨                                          ¨-«*%£¤£@#
##*%$/*~,.                                          .,~*/$%*##
##£§%$\~,.                                          .,~\$%§£##
#@@£¤^;«:¨                statuette                 ¨:«;^¤£@@#
###§%*/«..                                          ..«/*%§###
£*£%%^^«.¨ &$*£%&%*$%*%¤£%$«-~~«»=»%¤§@§£££*%§@$*%§ ¨.«^^%%£*£
@@£&%**»,¨                §£$%$*%$$                 ¨,»**%&£@@
@@§^«,,..¨                                          ¨..,,«^§@@
#$^*/=,.¨. forests around my childhood  home. thick .¨.,=/*^$#
@@§*$†~-¨, pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ,¨-~†$*§@@
###§£††-.,       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 ,-~††%&###
¶¤@@$*\~,. she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to .,~\*$@@¤¶
##@@$*=«.¨              throw it away.              ¨.«=*$@@##
##@££*:-~¨                                          ¨~-:*££@##
##£*~~,¨.,                                          ,.¨,~~*£##
##@@%$†~~¨                                          ¨~~†$%@@##
#@¶¤$%==,,                                          ,,==%$¤¶@#
#£$†~,,-..                                          ..-,,~†$£#
#%*£\»,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,»\£*%#