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