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