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