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