##@&£$;~^¨                                          ¨^~;$£&@##
#§¤§==~,.,                                          ,.,~==§¤§#
###&£*\»,,                                          ,,»\*£&###
####§$/-.¨                                          ¨.-/$§####
£&%§£%=«-¨                                          ¨-«=%£§%&£
#@@@£$/~^.                 statuette                .^~/$£@@@#
@£¤;,-.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.-,;¤£@
¶¤†^¨.,.,, *%$£§§§*§§%$%$§£=-~»==«=*%$&&@£*£%¤§$$&§ ,,.,.¨^†¤¶
@¤^~¨..,¨¨                 %$&&%$$%@                ¨¨,..¨~^¤@
@£§$*~~¨,.                                          .,¨~~*$§£@
##@£$%^~-. forests around my childhood  home. thick .-~^%$£@##
##@§%*;-^. 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.              ,--*^@¤@##
##@@&¤;~.,                                          ,.~;¤&@@##
@¤$%§\*~~.                                          .~~*\§%$¤@
@##&$$\«.,                                          ,.«\$$&##@
£§$†..,.,.                                          .,.,..†$§£
##@£§¤^==^                                          ^==^¤§£@##
§¤%;»~~¨,,                                          ,,¨~~»;%¤§