##@&*$=~-¨                                          ¨-~=$*&@##
#@&#*§^~~,                                          ,~~^§*#&@#
####§£%;~,                                          ,~;%£§####
#££&&$^~~¨                                          ¨~~^$&&££#
@@#&%=/~~,                                          ,~~/=%&#@@
@¤&:,-¨..¨                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. ¨--^*$#£##
¤#*&†%\~,,                                          ,,~\%†&*#¤
#*%@=«~=.. my mom is here now. i  ask  her for some ..=~«=@%*#
#¶%%:,¨¨.¨ particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but ¨.¨¨,:%%¶#
#@£#£*/-,, she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ,,-/*£#£@#
££@%;^-..,              throw it away.              ,..-^;%@££
#@£*=,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,=*£@#
##@¤*§/«,.                                          .,«/§*¤@##
¤#¤@%*^-,.                                          .,-^*%@¤#¤
##¶§£*:-,.                                          .,-:*£§¶##
#@@&£*==-.                                          .-==*£&@@#
#$«.,¨,¨.,                                          ,.¨,¨,.«$#