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