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