#§%§^~-.¨.                                          .¨.-~^§%§#
###£%†;»,,                                          ,,»;†%£###
###@%*=~,.                                          .,~=*%@###
#@#¤£*;-~.                                          .~-;*£¤#@#
###@£^=»,.                                          .,»=^£@###
###§$^†~~¨                 statuette                ¨~~†^$§###
@#&^^«-,,,                                          ,,,-«^^&#@
####§$^~-. %$¤£§*¤$%£%&&§£¤«=~-»~»»££%£%$£%@@$$&$*£ .-~^$§####
£$§%:~-^.,                &$£&%$¤$@                 ,.^-~:%§$£
##@££%$†~~                                          ~~†$%££@##
@§/,..,,,. forests around my childhood home.  thick .,,,..,/§@
£$^%†---:, pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ,:---†%^$£
###&$=*=~.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .~=*=$&###
###£§%/«,. underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it .,«/%§£###
#@§%$«,¨,¨ is  dark  and  moist, the canopy  having ¨,¨,«$%§@#
##@&**=»,. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .,»=**&@##
@=*-=..,,¨                                          ¨,,..=-*=@
¶$*$==-.¨, there's  a river passing  by, from  east ,¨.-==$*$¶
@§$».,.,¨¨ to west, getting broader  and deeper and ¨¨,.,.»$§@
##¶§£*=»,¨ slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just ¨,»=*£§¶##
##¶¤@%=~^. where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let .^~=%@¤¶##
##£#$$=«~¨ 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.              ¨.-;%§####
###£&§^»-,                                          ,-»^§&£###
###@*$/~.,                                          ,.~/$*@###
##¶£&$†=,¨                                          ¨,=†$&£¶##
¶£$=-¨..¨¨                                          ¨¨..¨-=$£¶
§§;\~-^..,                                          ,..^-~\;§§
##@§§§*=^¨                                          ¨^=*§§§@##