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