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