#@#£$§†~,¨                                          ¨,~†§$£#@#
##@@£†*~-.                                          .-~*†£@@##
##@@%%†«.,                                          ,.«†%%@@##
##£#§$*-^.                                          .^-*$§#£##
#@&¤%%^~,,                                          ,,~^%%¤&@#
##@§£*:~,.                 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 ,,~†$@####
@†;;^~,,,. must have been  laying in the wet  dirt, .,,,~^;;†@
#@¶#%%/~~, and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ,~~/%%#¶@#
##@¤¤=^~^.            other belongings.             .^~^=¤¤@##
££*-,¨¨...                                          ...¨¨,-*££
@§£§%=*=^¨ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨^=*=%§£§@
£#£^:-,..¨ on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ¨..,-:^£#£
#£%:=-¨,¨¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨¨,¨-=:%£#
@#§:-:.,,¨ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ¨,,.:-:§#@
@£@@%*:«:.                                          .:«:*%@@£@
@#@%†,,-¨. my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some .¨-,,†%@#@
##@&*†=~,. particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but .,~=†*&@##
¤%\.^¨¨,.. she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ..,¨¨^.\%¤
#^-¨,.,¨,,              throw it away.              ,,¨,.,¨-^#
@@#$%\/--.                                          .--/\%$#@@
@#@&£%/»~¨                                          ¨~»/%£&@#@
#£$;~,,,¨,                                          ,¨,,,~;$£#
##@@£^\--,                                          ,--\^£@@##
££@%*%†»-¨                                          ¨-»†%*%@££
#@¶¤£**=~,                                          ,~=**£¤¶@#