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