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