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