#@¤@$*:«,¨                                          ¨,«:*$@¤@#
#@¶¤§^†~,¨                                          ¨,~†^§¤¶@#
#@%;,.¨,..                                          ..,¨.,;%@#
&$-=^,-..¨                                          ¨..-,^=-$&
@@%*«,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,«*%@@
####$†\«:,                statuette                 ,:«\†$####
#@@¤*%\=^.                                          .^=\%*¤@@#
###@$^/~^. §$£*&%*@*%%%@£&§~-~»~===$@*£%¤*%§$%$§§*@ .^~/^$@###
#@#£¤^*~:¨                ¤&$££*%¤§                 ¨:~*^¤£#@#
##£#@%^«.¨                                          ¨.«^%@#£##
@&&^**;--, forests around my  childhood home. thick ,--;**^&&@
#&@£¤§:»,, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,,»:§¤£@&#
###§&††~.¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨.~††&§###
§£§%@§*»-. underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it .-»*§@%§£§
##@¤$*^-~. 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 ¨¨,,:\%*£#
#@#§§$;-,¨              throw it away.              ¨,-;$§§#@#
##@@§%;~-¨                                          ¨-~;%§@@##
@@##£%†~~,                                          ,~~†%£##@@
&**-..¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨..-**&
@£@¤%*;»:¨                                          ¨:»;*%¤@£@
##@@%§:~.,                                          ,.~:§%@@##
#@@#*§*«..                                          ..«*§*#@@#