@¤*»,^~.¨,                                          ,¨.~^,»*¤@
¤$§†%~~.¨¨                                          ¨¨.~~%†§$¤
##¶@$*;»~.                                          .~»;*$@¶##
#¤§@**†»-.                                          .-»†**@§¤#
@£^,¨,.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.,¨,^£@
##$^\†;»~¨                statuette                 ¨~»;†\^$##
##@§£*^«^,                                          ,^«^*£§@##
##@&*=\«^. £§%££$§*£&$%&*%¤~«==~=»~£%£¤££%££¤£&£¤@* .^«\=*&@##
###§%§==~,                §£%&@&¤&§                 ,~==§%§###
#@@£%*^»,,                                          ,,»^*%£@@#
###¤$*^-.. forests around my  childhood home. thick ..-^*$¤###
£¶£%*~¨... 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.              ¨:\=$@¶###
£$§%=%==-.                                          .-==%=%§$£
#%†~-..,..                                          ..,..-~†%#
##¶#&^†«,¨                                          ¨,«†^&#¶##
¶§@*^...¨,                                          ,¨...^*@§¶
#@#£%$†=..                                          ..=†$%£#@#
#%^*»-¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨-»*^%#