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