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