#&^=^=.^,.                                          .,^.=^=^&#
#¤*/^¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨^/*¤#
@@^%§%*«.,                                          ,.«*%§%^@@
##£££^*~-¨                                          ¨-~*^£££##
##¶¤%*:~.,                                          ,.~:*%¤¶##
£%†~:.,.¨.                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, .,,¨.^=*$&
@¶¶§§§;»,¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨,»;§§§¶¶@
§=*^§§†»:, freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ,:»†§§^*=§
@%*:¨,¨..,                                          ,..¨,¨:*%@
##££&*†»-¨ my  mom is here now. i ask her  for some ¨-»†*&££##
@§§*^-~.¨, particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but ,¨.~-^*§§@
#£&@£=^-,. she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to .,-^=£@&£#
##@¶@£==,¨              throw it away.              ¨,==£@¶@##
#¤\:,¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨,:\¤#
£§#¤$~~...                                          ...~~$¤#§£
@$%§$**«,,                                          ,,«**$§%$@
@¤%«,¨,,.,                                          ,.,,¨,«%¤@
£§£@;*«¨,.                                          .,¨«*;@£§£
#§^~,¨..,.                                          .,..¨,~^§#