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