###¤§†=~,,                                          ,,~=†§¤###
#%;^..¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨..^;%#
@##£&§:~,,                                          ,,~:§&£##@
#@#&£†^«-.                                          .-«^†£&#@#
##£$**†~,,                                          ,,~†**$£##
##£&$§†~,¨                statuette                 ¨,~†§$&£##
###@$%†«,.                                          .,«†%$@###
¤¤$*=†^=-¨ @%£$£&$£%%££@%$£~«--»~~~§&$£%$%§*$$$§¤£% ¨-=^†=*$¤¤
#&@£*/.¨..                 %¤&&&&%%&                ..¨./*£@&#
#@#£¤$/»,,                                          ,,»/$¤£#@#
#@¤§»,-,,. forests around my  childhood home. thick .,,-,»§¤@#
#$%»...¨,¨ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ¨,¨...»%$#
@%=*§%†«,¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨,«†%§*=%@
#@#£*%;»^¨ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ¨^»;%*£#@#
@¤;^«¨.¨,, is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having ,,¨.¨«^;¤@
¶#*%**-¨.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.¨-**%*#¶
####&$†~,,                                          ,,~†$&####
££^/;:.,.¨ there's a  river  passing by,  from east ¨.,.:;/^££
###@$*;-~. to west, getting  broader and deeper and .~-;*$@###
£¤¤:-...., slower as it goes.  equisetum  grow just ,....-:¤¤£
§&=»,¨...¨ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ¨...¨,»=&§
¶%$$*~==^, 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.              ¨,~\*¤§¶@@
##£§$^:=~¨                                          ¨~=:^$§£##
##£#$*:~,¨                                          ¨,~:*$#£##
#@£$%~«...                                          ...«~%$£@#
##¶#¤%\«:,                                          ,:«\%¤#¶##
#@@#£*†».¨                                          ¨.»†*£#@@#
@@$;~..,..                                          ..,..~;$@@