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