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