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