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