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