###@§§^«.,                                          ,.«^§§@###
@##£@%^»^.                                          .^»^%@£##@
##£#$$†~..                                          ..~†$$#£##
#@#§%$^~..                                          ..~^$%§#@#
##@¤£*;~,¨                                          ¨,~;*£¤@##
#*%†,.¨,,¨                 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 .-»^*%$%@¶
#&#§%†^«-¨ must have been laying  in the  wet dirt, ¨-«^†%§#&#
@#&§«,.,,, and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ,,,.,«§&#@
##@&¤**~~¨            other belongings.             ¨~~**¤&@##
¶¶¤&§%*«^.                                          .^«*%§&¤¶¶
#£¤¤%~~:¨, it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ,¨:~~%¤¤£#
#@##£%*«^¨ on  her   stomach,  feet   in  the  air, ¨^«*%£##@#
#&&*†~¨,,.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .,,¨~†*&&#
###§%%;»-. freshly made, not yet  completely dried. .-»;%%§###
@#@¤£=*=:,                                          ,:=*=£¤@#@
##@#§^:~^. my mom is here  now. i  ask her for some .^~:^§#@##
###£%†/»-¨ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ¨-»/†%£###
#@@§@†\-~¨ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ¨~-\†@§@@#
###£*§†»:.              throw it away.              .:»†§*£###
##¶¤£§^~,.                                          .,~^§£¤¶##
#@¶§£§*»,,                                          ,,»*§£§¶@#
####§**~,¨                                          ¨,~**§####
##££*%:~~¨                                          ¨~~:%*££##
#£#^~...¨,                                          ,¨...~^#£#
####$^=«,¨                                          ¨,«=^$####