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