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