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