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