##¶@£^\~~,                                          ,~~\^£@¶##
##@¤£$*«-.                                          .-«*$£¤@##
###£§%%=«.                                          .«=%%§£###
££¤*†=«~-¨                                          ¨-~«=†*¤££
£££§%=;~,.                                          .,~;=%§£££
@$%*«-.¨,.                 statuette                .,¨.-«*%$@
¤†;/,^,..,                                          ,..,^,/;†¤
£#&££=†~:¨ &*£$*&£@¤£%*§£%£=«»»~~=«£$$%*$&%¤*@$&%§£ ¨:~†=££&#£
##¶£$=^=^¨                 ¤&£$$%¤$$                ¨^=^=$£¶##
¤#^-:..¨.,                                          ,.¨..:-^#¤
##¤@*~~»,, forests  around my childhood home. thick ,,»~~*@¤##
¶$%=«,...¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨...,«=%$¶
#@£££*/~,¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨,~/*£££@#
##@£§††~,. underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it .,~††§£@##
#¤^§«,.,¨¨ is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having ¨¨,.,«§^¤#
###¤&§/--, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,--/§&¤###
#@%».¨..¨¨                                          ¨¨..¨.»%@#
##@¤%=:~,, there's  a river  passing  by, from east ,,~:=%¤@##
#@@££=;~.. to west,  getting broader and deeper and ..~;=££@@#
@§§%/=-¨¨¨ slower as it goes.  equisetum  grow just ¨¨¨-=/%§§@
£%@;,,.,,, where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ,,,.,,;@%£
##@¤&$:-,, through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky ,,-:$&¤@##
@&$/;=».¨¨                river bed.                ¨¨.»=;/$&@
##$$=,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,=$$##
@@&*$=^¨..                    :                     ..¨^=$*&@@
##@@¤£^=«¨                                          ¨«=^£¤@@##
##£@*†:~,. 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.              ¨¨¨.,^;^£§
###@$§;»,,                                          ,,»;§$@###
##@@&*/»,,                                          ,,»/*&@@##
##@&*§^~,¨                                          ¨,~^§*&@##
§@^~,.¨,.,                                          ,.,¨.,~^@§
#@##&†;~^¨                                          ¨^~;†&##@#
#¤$†=%:«^.                                          .^«:%=†$¤#