##@&£^*«,,                                          ,,«*^£&@##
@@£**^~,,.                                          .,,~^**£@@
@¤@%\».¨,.                                          .,¨.»\%@¤@
#£§$$\~:¨¨                                          ¨¨:~\$$§£#
#@£¤¤%=-:¨                                          ¨:-=%¤¤£@#
###¤%\-:,¨                statuette                 ¨,:-\%¤###
#@§==~~.¨,                                          ,¨.~~==§@#
@¶@$%^-,¨, &$&£&@£*%¤%@%%%¤«-=~~=-~&§$*%¤*&$¤%§§$$£ ,¨,-^%$@¶@
##@£$*†~,¨                 &$$£§%¤%$                ¨,~†*$£@##
#¶¤%%:-:¨.                                          .¨:-:%%¤¶#
@¤¤$/-:.,¨ forests around my  childhood home. thick ¨,.:-/$¤¤@
##¤&%/-~.. pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ..~-/%&¤##
#@@@§*\=:¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨:=\*§@@@#
@#§$*^--.. underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it ..--^*$§#@
¶£§=/~~,,. is  dark and moist,  the  canopy  having .,,~~/=§£¶
#¶§£%\«~.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.~«\%£§¶#
###@%%:-,¨                                          ¨,-:%%@###
##@£†^--.¨ there's  a river passing  by, from  east ¨.--^†£@##
@¤£%:~~¨.. to  west, getting broader and deeper and ..¨~~:%£¤@
#£¤%%*-.¨, slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just ,¨.-*%%¤£#
##¶¤&†\-~, where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ,~-\†&¤¶##
###@§*~~¨¨ through light,  horsemint on  the  rocky ¨¨~~*§@###
#¤%$;«-,¨.                river bed.                .¨,-«;$%¤#
##&@*†~,¨.                                          .¨,~†*@&##
###¤$$;«^¨                     :                    ¨^«;$$¤###
#¶¤£$*=,,¨                                          ¨,,=*$£¤¶#
#&£^†»~.¨. the riverbanks  reek  of magic.  tonight .¨.~»†^£&#
#@¤¤%:~-., they  had been a  swampworld with sylvan ,.-~:%¤¤@#
#@@§¤§\=:. water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. .:=\§¤§@@#
##£§$*«~,. you could've found  me wallowing  around .,~«*$§£##
#&$*:»:.¨, on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ,¨.:»:*$&#
##§$=^»^,.                 bitten.                  .,^»^=$§##
#@##%*;~^.                                          .^~;*%##@#
@##**==~¨¨ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ¨¨~==**##@
#@%§\-~¨,¨ ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an ¨,¨~-\§%@#
#@@&†/~:,¨ orange  tin  radio   and  a  translucent ¨,:~/†&@@#
###§£%^»~¨      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ¨~»^%£§###
#@§$$/»:.,                                          ,.:»/$$§@#
£&%^=»,.¨¨                    /                     ¨¨.,»=^%&£
#@¤%*/»-..                                          ..-»/*%¤@#
##£§&§;»-, 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.              .~-;^%£@##
@#££†^~,,¨                                          ¨,,~^†££#@
#&*$==:¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨:==$*&#
@£@@*†-^.,                                          ,.^-†*@@£@
##@@%%^«-.                                          .-«^%%@@##
@#£¤^=»,¨,                                          ,¨,»=^¤£#@
#¤*$^~:¨..                                          ..¨:~^$*¤#