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