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