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