#@£%*†«:¨,                                          ,¨:«†*%£@#
##£¤$**~.,                                          ,.~**$¤£##
#¶#£^=-.¨,                                          ,¨.-=^£#¶#
##¤=/~,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,~/=¤##
#@@@=^~:,.                                          .,:~^=@@@#
###£$%\-,¨                 statuette                ¨,-\%$£###
#@#@$†~,,,                                          ,,,~†$@#@#
£§*=\«,,.¨ £%§@£$@%$$$%$§$$-«»~~-~=$¤£&££&@¤£¤@@§*£ ¨.,,«\=*§£
##£$%†~.,.                %@&@%¤*$£                 .,.~†%$£##
##£¤%=*«:.                                          .:«*=%¤£##
##¤%=*-^,¨ 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 ,,,,~:=%£#
###&$\~^,, must  have been laying  in the wet dirt, ,,^~\$&###
##£¤%*/~^, and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ,^~/*%¤£##
#@¤%^†~:¨¨            other belongings.             ¨¨:~†^%¤@#
@#%=^»,..¨                                          ¨..,»^=%#@
##§¤†=«,,¨ it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ¨,,«=†¤§##
##@&%§^-~, on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ,~-^§%&@##
#£§@%^~,¨¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨¨,~^%@§£#
#§£=;=,¨¨. freshly  made, not yet completely dried. .¨¨,=;=£§#
###§§:~.,,                                          ,,.~:§§###
###@%†/-:, my mom is  here now. i ask  her for some ,:-/†%@###
##¤%=/-:¨, particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but ,¨:-/=%¤##
¶§*†:=..¨. she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to .¨..=:†*§¶
#£#@†:»-¨.              throw it away.              .¨-»:†@#£#
###§@§/-.¨                                          ¨.-/§@§###
##@&§†«:..                                          ..:«†§&@##
#¤&$:~:,.¨                                          ¨.,:~:$&¤#
###**;«:.,                                          ,.:«;**###
###££=*--.                                          .--*=££###
#@@%**-...                                          ...-**%@@#