##@£$*:=,.                                          .,=:*$£@##
##@§£§*~,.                                          .,~*§£§@##
###§£^:»,,                                          ,,»:^£§###
&#==-~,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,~-==#&
####%=†»~,                                          ,~»†=%####
@##@*%;»~.                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.             .-«:†$#£##
@§=:-,¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨,-:=§@
&§§«,...¨. it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked .¨...,«§§&
&*%†*..-¨¨ on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ¨¨-..*†%*&
§*%\-,.,,,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,,,.,-\%*§
##@§§%/~,¨ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ¨,~/%§§@##
&%=~~.,¨.,                                          ,.¨,.~~=%&
##¶¤£*;».¨ my mom  is here now. i  ask her for some ¨.»;*£¤¶##
####@††=,, particle  board  for it to  dry on,  but ,,=††@####
##£§£†/~,. she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to .,~/†£§£##
¤¤#%«:¨¨.,              throw it away.              ,.¨¨:«%#¤¤
###&&†\~:.                                          .:~\†&&###
£$£$¤%:~,.                                          .,~:%¤$£$£
@@&@&$:=~¨                                          ¨~=:$&@&@@
###&@*^«.¨                                          ¨.«^*@&###
@%&£*~,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,~*£&%@
#@@§%%\=~,                                          ,~=\%%§@@#