@@*;†^«:,.                                          .,:«^†;*@@
#@@§*=:~.¨                                          ¨.~:=*§@@#
##¶#@^==^¨                                          ¨^==^@#¶##
#@#§£$;~-¨                                          ¨-~;$£§#@#
#@£*%«¨,.,                                          ,.,¨«%*£@#
@&¤£$^†=-¨                 statuette                ¨-=†^$£¤&@
###£*=:-:.                                          .:-:=*£###
@£*%=†\»,. £££@$§$%$§%&&@£¤»~---~»»*¤&$$@&$*£$&&%$@ .,»\†=%*£@
##¶&$*:--.                @$$§%££@*                 .--:*$&¶##
#@§%»»~,.,                                          ,.,~»»%§@#
§£^=-~..,. forests around  my childhood home. thick .,..~-=^£§
##¶&£†;~~. pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and .~~;†£&¶##
##¶££%;»~.       forgotten. wild boars roaming      .~»;%££¶##
##@#§*^-:¨ underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ¨:-^*§#@##
##@&@^:~,, is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having ,,~:^@&@##
#@¶¤&%†=,, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,,=†%&¤¶@#
##¶#$%;-,,                                          ,,-;%$#¶##
##@¤%%/»,. there's a  river passing  by, from  east .,»/%%¤@##
#£§\^,,¨., to west, getting broader  and deeper and ,.¨,,^\§£#
##@#&$/«., 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.              ,¨.,\^**##
####@*^«^¨                                          ¨^«^*@####
@@^†^††«,¨                                          ¨,«††^†^@@
#@¶¤¤§/~^,                                          ,^~/§¤¤¶@#
£¤#&^†/«,,                                          ,,«/†^&#¤£
@@¤^=,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,=^¤@@
&§=^~«-¨¨,                                          ,¨¨-«~^=§&