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