##@&£==»:.                                          .:»==£&@##
##@£$^;-.,                                          ,.-;^$£@##
#@@&$=\-,.                                          .,-\=$&@@#
#$\~=^,¨,,                                          ,,¨,^=~\$#
###§¤*:~:.                                          .:~:*¤§###
¶@#¤&$*~~¨                 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 ,,¨,:;†*£#
##@£$=:~:¨ she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to ¨:~:=$£@##
@$£%&=;«:.              throw it away.              .:«;=&%£$@
§*%*=^¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨^=*%*§
##@&£§:~-.                                          .-~:§£&@##
§§†*,,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,,*†§§
@#£*/:,..,                                          ,..,:/*£#@
###§%†\=:¨                                          ¨:=\†%§###
####£§\»:.                                          .:»\§£####