##¶£%††«.¨                                          ¨.«††%£¶##
£§:,,,.,,,                                          ,,,.,,,:§£
#@¤£*†^-~,                                          ,~-^†*£¤@#
##@£&$/~.,                                          ,.~/$&£@##
#*†/^«~¨,¨                                          ¨,¨~«^/†*#
##£¤§$†»,¨                 statuette                ¨,»†$§¤£##
##¶§@%*=~¨                                          ¨~=*%@§¶##
####¤*/-~. %££££*£$%¤%%&£%*~»~=»~«-£$$%£$¤@£$$£§%£% .~-/*¤####
#£*:~.,,,¨                %$£**$§$%                 ¨,,,.~:*£#
#@£§§%/~^¨                                          ¨^~/%§§£@#
##£&*%=«~¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨~«=%*&£##
£&@¤%=/-:, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,:-/=%¤@&£
#**»...,.¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨.,...»**#
##@@%^\»,, underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it ,,»\^%@@##
#@#@£*\=~¨ is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having ¨~=\*£@#@#
##£@$*=«,, 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 ¨~~^$%£###
####£%†~,,              throw it away.              ,,~†%£####
###£%†:»^.                                          .^»:†%£###
@¤%%--^...                                          ...^--%%¤@
££:,....,¨                                          ¨,....,:££
#@@&@*;-,¨                                          ¨,-;*@&@@#
###¤£$:=^,                                          ,^=:$£¤###
#@%««¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨««%@#