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