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