##§§*.~~,.                                          .,~~.*§§##
@§$*†~,..,                                          ,..,~†*$§@
###£$^;-..                                          ..-;^$£###
#£¤$$^\=,,                                          ,,=\^$$¤£#
#£$£/-¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨-/£$£#
@#££$%†~^,                 statuette                ,^~†%$££#@
#@&*@%=~^¨                                          ¨^~=%@*&@#
#¤¤=~,.,.¨ £%&§*%¤%&£@@&@£¤~»«=«=«~**§$@%%%%£¤%££§& ¨.,.,~=¤¤#
#&&*=~.¨¨,                $§@%&£¤£*                 ,¨¨.~=*&&#
##¶#£%\»:¨                                          ¨:»\%£#¶##
#£#@£*\»,¨ forests around my childhood  home. thick ¨,»\*£@#£#
£#§£=/^,,. pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and .,,^/=£§#£
#@£&%$/--,      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 .:-;%$§@@£
#¤:=,^..¨, particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but ,¨..^,=:¤#
@¤*::==:,, she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ,,:==::*¤@
#@#&%*;»,¨              throw it away.              ¨,»;*%&#@#
#@$%^«,,¨.                                          .¨,,«^%$@#
###£¤§=~,,                                          ,,~=§¤£###
£@@%;==»,¨                                          ¨,»==;%@@£
###@@£*~:¨                                          ¨:~*£@@###
@%*=%^/»,¨                                          ¨,»/^%=*%@
@§**~-~^^¨                                          ¨^^~-~**§@