#@#***~,¨.                                          .¨,~***#@#
#@@@¤§†~:,                                          ,:~†§¤@@@#
#@&£*^-,.¨                                          ¨.,-^*£&@#
@¤%§=»-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-»=§%¤@
¤$†:=:¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨:=:†$¤
§**--.¨,¨¨                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 ¨-~/†£@###
@@&$%†-,,,              throw it away.              ,,,-†%$&@@
#&*=^~..¨.                                          .¨..~^=*&#
&%$:~~¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨~~:$%&
§**«.,,.,,                                          ,,.,,.«**§
**~-,.¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨.,-~**
&†^-~,.,.,                                          ,.,.,~-^†&
¤§$^«,,...                                          ...,,«^$§¤