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