@#@@%*=~-,                                          ,-~=*%@@#@
##£@$§^=:¨                                          ¨:=^§$@£##
§§%^~».¨¨.                                          .¨¨.»~^%§§
#*^/*/~-,¨                                          ¨,-~/*/^*#
#@;«^^..¨.                                          .¨..^^«;@#
##@£%†=~-¨                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. ¨,=†*$@###
@¤†.~¨¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨¨~.†¤@
##¶¤£^*-,, my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ,,-*^£¤¶##
##@#@%*«:, particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but ,:«*%@#@##
###¶¤§%-~, she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ,~-%§¤¶###
@%¤§=«-..¨              throw it away.              ¨..-«=§¤%@
##¶§£*:-^¨                                          ¨^-:*£§¶##
¶$†;~«-»:.                                          .:»-«~;†$¶
###£*$/«-,                                          ,-«/$*£###
£@$¤†,,,,.                                          .,,,,†¤$@£
##@¶£^^-~.                                          .~-^^£¶@##
##@#§&*\-¨                                          ¨-\*&§#@##