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