##&£§=-~..                                          ..~-=§£&##
##£££$==,.                                          .,==$£££##
##§£%\~.,,                                          ,,.~\%£§##
##§§*~,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,~*§§##
@£§¤%^=...                                          ...=^%¤§£@
##@#$§:«^,                statuette                 ,^«:§$#@##
#£&%†*~,.¨                                          ¨.,~*†%&£#
¶#$$*=-,,, %%@£§§§$%@§£%£%%-=~~~«-=$$¤@*$&%¤£*$$**§ ,,,-=*$$#¶
##£¤$†»..,                $£&¤@%*%$                 ,..»†$¤£##
###&@§^~-,                                          ,-~^§@&###
@¶#£%/~~¨¨ forests around my  childhood home. thick ¨¨~~/%£#¶@
@&*†=~^¨¨, pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,¨¨^~=†*&@
###£$/-.,.       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.              ¨¨^»†*%£##
###¤*$=~,¨                                          ¨,~=$*¤###
@#@%^/»-.,                                          ,.-»/^%@#@
@£$^*~.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.~*^$£@
#£¤$%/«:¨¨                                          ¨¨:«/%$¤£#
###@&%/-:,                                          ,:-/%&@###
##§£^:«^,,                                          ,,^«:^£§##