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