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