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