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