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