##@¤$=*=,.                                          .,=*=$¤@##
#¤%/=«-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-«=/%¤#
@#¤*†**~:.                                          .:~**†*¤#@
#*%£%%:--,                                          ,--:%%£%*#
#£#=««-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-««=#£#
####¤%=«-¨                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 ,,¨,~»*$&#
£%**-:¨,¨. she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to .¨,¨:-**%£
##¶@&*^=~.              throw it away.              .~=^*&@¶##
#££††«=~^.                                          .^~=«††££#
##@¤§$:~~¨                                          ¨~~:$§¤@##
#%=~,..¨,¨                                          ¨,¨..,~=%#
###&§%==.¨                                          ¨.==%§&###
##£¤¤*\»:¨                                          ¨:»\*¤¤£##
##¶&@%=«:,                                          ,:«=%@&¶##