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