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