@¤%*=*-.¨.                                          .¨.-*=*%¤@
##@¤$§\-:¨                                          ¨:-\§$¤@##
###@@†/«:.                                          .:«/†@@###
##¶¤%$\~,,                                          ,,~\$%¤¶##
#@£#**:-~¨                                          ¨~-:**#£@#
##¶§£*†»,.                 statuette                .,»†*£§¶##
####$*^»:.                                          .:»^*$####
@£§;/~,.¨, $%@%%*§%$¤&*$££$~=~~»=»«§$£$$£§§*£%&§&@% ,¨.,~/;§£@
@£=\:¨,..¨                $§%&$%§&$                 ¨..,¨:\=£@
@@£†»,,:,.                                          .,:,,»†£@@
#@£&%*^=,. forests around  my childhood home. thick .,=^*%&£@#
###@$%:~-. pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and .-~:%$@###
##@§£^†=,,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,,=†^£§@##
##@@%†^«^. underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it .^«^†%@@##
###£$§\~,. is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having .,~\§$£###
##@#§*/~~. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .~~/*§#@##
@§£$§«^,.¨                                          ¨.,^«§$£§@
@@§%¤††~., there's a  river passing by,  from  east ,.~††¤%§@@
£#@&@*\»~¨ to west,  getting broader and deeper and ¨~»\*@&@#£
##@&*$\«.. slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just ..«\$*&@##
##@#¤*\~,¨ where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ¨,~\*¤#@##
###¤£$/»,, through  light, horsemint  on the  rocky ,,»/$£¤###
##¶@%%:-.,                river bed.                ,.-:%%@¶##
##@#$**»^,                                          ,^»**$#@##
#%%^~,.¨¨.                    †                     .¨¨.,~^%%#
#§%*~«=..,                                          ,..=«~*%§#
#@§%*^;«.¨ the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight ¨.«;^*%§@#
##@¤$†:-~¨ they had been  a  swampworld with sylvan ¨~-:†$¤@##
###&$$*~,¨ 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 ,..¨,,.=$¤
£££§\^,,.¨ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ¨.,,^\§£££
&^~-:,¨,¨, she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ,¨,¨,:-~^&
@=:-».^¨¨.              throw it away.              .¨¨^.»-:=@
@$%§»~=..,                                          ,..=~»§%$@
#%«~-~,.,,                                          ,,.,~-~«%#
§==/--,¨..                                          ..¨,--/==§
@£†~».,,¨.                                          .¨,,.»~†£@
@££=-,,...                                          ...,,-=££@
#@¶£@§:=,,                                          ,,=:§@£¶@#