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