#@£§§†^~^.                                          .^~^†§§£@#
#@##*%=»^.                                          .^»=%*##@#
##@¤§$†~-,                                          ,-~†$§¤@##
#§%=,.....                                          .....,=%§#
@§£¤£%;=.,                                          ,.=;%£¤£§@
@£$:^«,.¨¨                 statuette                ¨¨.,«^:$£@
##@//«,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,«//@##
¶£@@§«=¨.. %**$$¤§£$§*¤$$£%««-=««»~£¤%£&%$&*$$&$£$% ..¨=«§@@£¶
##££§†\~,.                &£$%¤£%@$                 .,~\†§££##
#@§¤¤†:-:¨                                          ¨:-:†¤¤§@#
#@¤$\..... forests  around my childhood home. thick .....\$¤@#
#@@&$^;=.¨ 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 ,,»=»$*£#@
@@;;::~,., on  her   stomach,  feet   in  the  air, ,.,~::;;@@
###@%†^«,.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .,«^†%@###
@¤§&@†\~-. freshly made,  not yet completely dried. .-~\†@&§¤@
§§^/«¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨«/^§§
###§§^†«,. my  mom is here now.  i ask her for some .,«†^§§###
###§§*=-,. particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but .,-=*§§###
@#§%%».,.. she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ..,.»%%§#@
##@&£§;»-,              throw it away.              ,-»;§£&@##
##¶@§$^«^.                                          .^«^$§@¶##
#§%§=-,.,¨                                          ¨,.,-=§%§#
¤^=.,,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,,.=^¤
####&$/~~.                                          .~~/$&####
#§#&$%/=^.                                          .^=/%$&#§#
¶&&£§=†-:,                                          ,:-†=§£&&¶