##£%§/~^¨¨                                          ¨¨^~/§%£##
#§*%;»^¨.,                                          ,.¨^»;%*§#
#@¤@†\-~,¨                                          ¨,~-\†@¤@#
#@@§@†;«.,                                          ,.«;†@§@@#
#@¤%*:«:.,                                          ,.:«:*%¤@#
#§£%\-^,,¨                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 ,,.^~**&&#
@#@$^^~,,. particle board  for it to  dry  on,  but .,,~^^$@#@
##¶§%$*~.. she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to ..~*$%§¶##
#£¤$%\~:,.              throw it away.              .,:~\%$¤£#
£§%*†«-,¨¨                                          ¨¨,-«†*%§£
#¶¤&^;«^¨,                                          ,¨^«;^&¤¶#
#@£&$†^~,¨                                          ¨,~^†$&£@#
#£¤*^\«,¨¨                                          ¨¨,«\^*¤£#
@#@%^~,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,~^%@#@
#¶¤*$^-~.,                                          ,.~-^$*¤¶#