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