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