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