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