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