##@¤*§†=~.                                          .~=†§*¤@##
##@&%^/=:.                                          .:=/^%&@##
#@@&£†\~-,                                          ,-~\†£&@@#
###§*^=-,¨                                          ¨,-=^*§###
##@¶&^\~-,                                          ,-~\^&¶@##
###§$=;«^¨                 statuette                ¨^«;=$§###
####$^=»~¨                                          ¨~»=^$####
##@@&%*-,. $$$£$&**$&$%%£$$~»»~«=--%%$$@@*£§%¤§%¤$§ .,-*%&@@##
@@¶#%§:»-,                 %¤£§££§&$                ,-»:§%#¶@@
##££§*^~:,                                          ,:~^*§££##
##@#§†:-:, 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 ,,,¨:~-*$£
#§†%==,,¨¨ particle  board for it  to  dry on,  but ¨¨,,==%†§#
#@¶#&=*=,, she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ,,=*=&#¶@#
@†*^:,¨.¨.              throw it away.              .¨.¨,:^*†@
###&£*/«,¨                                          ¨,«/*£&###
##¶#£§;~,.                                          .,~;§£#¶##
&§&&@*;«,,                                          ,,«;*@&&§&
&%*/»~=.¨.                                          .¨.=~»/*%&
#%$*=..,.¨                                          ¨.,..=*$%#
#@&**«¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨«**&@#