&@††«~:,..                                          ..,:~«††@&
@&§=,,.,.,                                          ,.,.,,=§&@
@##¤%=\«^.                                          .^«\=%¤##@
#¤$$=--,,¨                                          ¨,,--=$$¤#
###£#$*/=-                                          -=/*$#£###
@$£*^=-,¨,                statuette                 ,¨,-=^*£$@
£¤*/,-,..,                                          ,..,-,/*¤£
###§*«~:-. §&§¤&&*$&$@£&¤§£~--»~~=~$¤*§%%*%£$$££*§¤ .-:~«*§###
##@¶¤$%«:,                £%$*%$££*                 ,:«%$¤¶@##
@¤&§=«»,,,                                          ,,,»«=§&¤@
#@@¤&*=~:¨ forests around my childhood home.  thick ¨:~=*&¤@@#
@@§%/†,... pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and ...,†/%§@@
§#§$*\^,,,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,,,^\*$§#§
#&=-«,¨.,¨ underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it ¨,.¨,«-=&#
#@@$$*^»~¨ 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 ¨,¨,«:*=&@
#@££$=\=..              throw it away.              ..=\=$££@#
###&£$;=:¨                                          ¨:=;$£&###
#@@&&$/=,¨                                          ¨,=/$&&@@#
###£$*;~:¨                                          ¨:~;*$£###
@%$^;:...¨                                          ¨...:;^$%@
£§†\««~~,¨                                          ¨,~~««\†§£
&¤#¤&%^~~.                                          .~~^%&¤#¤&