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