#§/-,¨¨,..                                          ..,¨¨,-/§#
###¤£*†=~.                                          .~=†*£¤###
###¤*†/=,.                                          .,=/†*¤###
¤#§£*%:»~,                                          ,~»:%*£§#¤
#@#¤$†\=,.                                          .,=\†$¤#@#
###§$*/=:¨                statuette                 ¨:=/*$§###
#@##*=/-.,                                          ,.-/=*##@#
£$».¨.,,¨. *@$&*%%*$@%£&£&$«~»=~»-»$%£@§%§£*¤%££¤$£ .¨,,.¨.»$£
@@@§%*:~~¨                $¤¤%£$££¤                 ¨~~:*%§@@@
###@&$=«.,                                          ,.«=$&@###
##@@¤$†«-¨ forests  around my childhood home. thick ¨-«†$¤@@##
#@##%$;--, pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,--;$%##@#
@§#§£*^~:¨       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.              ,-»:%%§@##
#§&*§%/-:,                                          ,:-/%§*&§#
@#$£\,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,\£$#@
##@&$%\~-.                                          .-~\%$&@##
###¶&£\~,¨                                          ¨,~\£&¶###
#@§::.,..,                                          ,..,.::§@#
§§*=*,¨,..                                          ..,¨,*=*§§