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