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