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