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