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