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