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