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