#@£*^%^=,,                                          ,,=^%^*£@#
##@§%†*-:.                                          .:-*†%§@##
#@@£@%=~~¨                                          ¨~~=%@£@@#
#@££$%*=.,                                          ,.=*%$££@#
@¶£&¤=:»,.                                          .,»:=¤&£¶@
##@&$%:~-.                 statuette                .-~:%$&@##
#@£*«=~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~=«*£@#
£&%^*^~-., **¤%&$&§$&§&&@£%-~~«»»~=&&£¤£%$£$£¤§*£** ,.-~^*^%&£
##££*^:=,,                $¤*%£§£%¤                 ,,=:^*££##
§&¤$%*†-..                                          ..-†*%$¤&§
##@*=^¨¨,, forests  around my childhood home. thick ,,¨¨^=*@##
##¶¤$†\~.¨ 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.              ,^»/%&#@¶#
###@@£†«^.                                          .^«†£@@###
#£@@¤%=~,¨                                          ¨,~=%¤@@£#
@#££¤%;-:,                                          ,:-;%¤££#@
##@&£*/«-,                                          ,-«/*£&@##
&¤^-.:,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,:.-^¤&
#@#@***-,¨                                          ¨,-***@#@#