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