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