#@=~«~..,¨                                          ¨,..~«~=@#
#@@&*%;»,.                                          .,»;%*&@@#
@@¶#¤%\-,.                                          .,-\%¤#¶@@
##@£$$:»-¨                                          ¨-»:$$£@##
¤^:,..,,¨.                                          .¨,,..,:^¤
@@#§£§\-~,                 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, ,^~/$%££##
@§;,^,.,,¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨,,.,^,;§@
##@¤%*/~^. freshly made, not yet completely  dried. .^~/*%¤@##
#£&#%^*»-¨                                          ¨-»*^%#&£#
@@§%:~,.,, my mom is  here now. i ask  her for some ,,.,~:%§@@
¶@:»-~,.,, particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but ,,.,~-»:@¶
§@%%*=^¨,, she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ,,¨^=*%%@§
£¶£&£†;=,¨              throw it away.              ¨,=;†£&£¶£
#**§**^~,.                                          .,~^**§**#
£@$-»:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:»-$@£
##@£§^/»,,                                          ,,»/^§£@##
@£@&%^;~,¨                                          ¨,~;^%&@£@
##@@*%*~.,                                          ,.~*%*@@##
##¶#&††=,¨                                          ¨,=††&#¶##