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