#¶£@@$*».,                                          ,.»*$@@£¶#
##£§£†/-.,                                          ,.-/†£§£##
@&§£§^=»,.                                          .,»=^§£§&@
##@#%§†-^¨                                          ¨^-†§%#@##
###@&^^~^,                                          ,^~^^&@###
#@@£%*^~^.                 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, ,.~:§$§@##
##£&%§/=.,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,.=/§%&£##
@§¤%§^†»:. freshly made, not yet  completely dried. .:»†^§%¤§@
##¶¤@%*--.                                          .--*%@¤¶##
£#=~,¨.,¨¨ my mom is here now. i ask  her for  some ¨¨,.¨,~=#£
@@£¤£†/~,¨ particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but ¨,~/†£¤£@@
##¶&¤^;«.¨ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ¨.«;^¤&¶##
£†»....,,¨              throw it away.              ¨,,....»†£
##¶#£$†~:,                                          ,:~†$£#¶##
¶§%%*^,¨,.                                          .,¨,^*%%§¶
§#¤%†»-~~¨                                          ¨~~-»†%¤#§
££%§;~^,.¨                                          ¨.,^~;§%££
¶%*-¨¨,,..                                          ..,,¨¨-*%¶
###§%%†«^.                                          .^«†%%§###