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