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