###&¤††~:,                                          ,:~††¤&###
#@@#*%\=,,                                          ,,=\%*#@@#
##@§%*\~.,                                          ,.~\*%§@##
£*$*†*\~-,                                          ,-~\*†*$*£
¶&==~«~-,¨                                          ¨,-~«~==&¶
¤§$=.,¨,,,                 statuette                ,,,¨,.=$§¤
###¤&*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*&¤###
#¶@†*-...¨ %£@§§@£$%%$%@*&§=-»»«=»=$%@£@$%%@$@$&§%* ¨...-*†@¶#
£¤$^-¨.,¨¨                @¤£*$@$&%                 ¨¨,.¨-^$¤£
##¶§**†~,¨                                          ¨,~†**§¶##
@†=:~,,,,, 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 ..~:$*¤£##
##£§£%;~.. particle  board for  it to  dry  on, but ..~;%£§£##
#£@*==^=,, she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ,,=^==*@£#
##@¤£†\~~.              throw it away.              .~~\†£¤@##
@&*\:~.¨,.                                          .,¨.~:\*&@
##@†$%\=,¨                                          ¨,=\%$†@##
#@%=«.^.¨.                                          .¨.^.«=%@#
##@@$%\»-.                                          .-»\%$@@##
##@£@=*=.¨                                          ¨.=*=@£@##
#@@@£%;»-.                                          .-»;%£@@@#