##@#$%†-^,                                          ,^-†%$#@##
##@§%%/-.¨                                          ¨.-/%%§@##
###§¤§==:.                                          .:==§¤§###
&§=^-¨¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨¨-^=§&
§&†*»:¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨:»*†&§
#¶£¤@§^~-¨                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. .-~\:/$*@#
##@£**†».,                                          ,.»†**£@##
##@@#£†~.¨ my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ¨.~†£#@@##
#§*†%%:-^¨ particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but ¨^-:%%†*§#
§£§~.¨,,.¨ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ¨.,,¨.~§£§
###££§†~:,              throw it away.              ,:~†§££###
@£¶&*%;~,.                                          .,~;%*&¶£@
###¤$^;«^.                                          .^«;^$¤###
####%%:«-,                                          ,-«:%%####
£†*%=†~..,                                          ,..~†=%*†£
###§&§†-,¨                                          ¨,-†§&§###
#£$@;.,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,.;@$£#