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