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