##@&§%†~-¨                                          ¨-~†%§&@##
###¤¤†\~:¨                                          ¨:~\†¤¤###
#@¶¤%*^~:,                                          ,:~^*%¤¶@#
#¶¤^»~¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨~»^¤¶#
#@^~«~~.,¨                                          ¨,.~~«~^@#
¤£¤£&*^=^.                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 .-~**$&¶##
@##@£%†--, she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ,--†%£@##@
@%*/,,,¨¨¨              throw it away.              ¨¨¨,,,/*%@
#@¶§£%/«~.                                          .~«/%£§¶@#
#@@#$§/~:¨                                          ¨:~/§$#@@#
##@£%%*~,,                                          ,,~*%%£@##
##@£&%^~~.                                          .~~^%&£@##
¤@\:..¨.,.                                          .,.¨..:\@¤
¶#£%-:^.¨¨                                          ¨¨.^:-%£#¶