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