##@¤¤==»~,                                          ,~»==¤¤@##
@&¤@@$†«,¨                                          ¨,«†$@@¤&@
###§$$\=,,                                          ,,=\$$§###
@£%\.¨¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨¨.\%£@
###@£$\~~,                                          ,~~\$£@###
###&£%\=-¨                statuette                 ¨-=\%£&###
@¤%:\†~~:.                                          .:~~†\:%¤@
#@£&$%;--. §*£*£%%@££@@§@$*=»~«-»«-%@@£$&¤§@$&£@££§ .--;%$&£@#
###@&§:~~¨                §£&*%&£%%                 ¨~~:§&@###
@&*$=/~-,.                                          .,-~/=$*&@
@#£¤*=;»^. forests around my  childhood home. thick .^»;=*¤£#@
###£$^:=~¨ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ¨~=:^$£###
###§£%:~-,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,-~:%£§###
§§*:;«,~¨¨ underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it ¨¨~,«;:*§§
§&¤^~:^¨¨. is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having .¨¨^:~^¤&§
##£¤@*:=~. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .~=:*@¤£##
####£%*~,,                                          ,,~*%£####
§%«~.¨..,. there's  a river  passing by,  from east .,..¨.~«%§
##@£$=:»~. to  west, getting broader and deeper and .~»:=$£@##
##@&£§:«~, slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just ,~«:§£&@##
###@£%^=-. where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let .-=^%£@###
##¶#$*/--. through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky .--/*$#¶##
@†*†,¨¨.,,                river bed.                ,,.¨¨,†*†@
&$£*,¨,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,¨,*£$&
###§@†*-,.                     \                    .,-*†@§###
#@¶¤$$^«-.                                          .-«^$$¤¶@#
#@£@£§*~,, 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.              ¨.=\*$$¤£@
@#¶¤¤**»,,                                          ,,»**¤¤¶#@
##@¤@§\~.,                                          ,.~\§@¤@##
#@#@&*==-¨                                          ¨-==*&@#@#
&%£*^/~.¨.                                          .¨.~/^*£%&
&@;«.¨¨,.,                                          ,.,¨¨.«;@&
#*\~=,,.,,                                          ,,.,,=~\*#