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