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