##@#£§/».,                                          ,.»/§£#@##
####£*/»-¨                                          ¨-»/*£####
###&@*;»,.                                          .,»;*@&###
#@##$*;--¨                                          ¨--;*$##@#
@@@†=~^,,¨                                          ¨,,^~=†@@@
#**$§*†~~¨                statuette                 ¨~~†*§$**#
¤&%==..¨.¨                                          ¨.¨..==%&¤
¶##@%»,,,. %§%%£$@@£§%&%&£*~=---~=~§¤§*§*£%£$*££$%* .,,,»%@##¶
£*£&£%/»,.                 %¤&$%&$&£                .,»/%£&£*£
#@%§\«~,.¨                                          ¨.,~«\§%@#
##@#%§;-,, forests around my  childhood home. thick ,,-;§%#@##
&*^«:¨.,.. pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ..,.¨:«^*&
£@@§@%†-,.      forgotten. wild boars roaming       .,-†%@§@@£
##£#¤*;-^¨ underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it ¨^-;*¤#£##
@@%%*†~,,, is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having ,,,~†*%%@@
#£¤§=-,¨.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.¨,-=§¤£#
##¶¤$§^~:¨                                          ¨:~^§$¤¶##
#££@£$/~:¨ 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.              ¨.,.,¨»-†@
##*¤%^~-,¨                                          ¨,-~^%¤*##
&@£=\:=~:¨                                          ¨:~=:\=£@&
#@#&£^/«~.                                          .~«/^£&#@#
@#&%*$:-^¨                                          ¨^-:$*%&#@
@§*~¨¨..¨,                                          ,¨..¨¨~*§@
#£¤@§\~,,.                                          .,,~\§@¤£#