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