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