####£$=»:.                                          .:»=$£####
##¤¤†^«,.,                                          ,.,«^†¤¤##
#£*%*»,.,,                                          ,,.,»*%*£#
##£***-:,.                                          .,:-***£##
####&§:~-.                                          .-~:§&####
##¤*††=-.,                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.              ¨,~\*£§###
##§$%/»~¨,                                          ,¨~»/%$§##
##&*\~~,¨¨                                          ¨¨,~~\*&##
##@§†:~~¨¨                                          ¨¨~~:†§@##
####£†=~-,                                          ,-~=†£####
##¤*%=«.¨¨                                          ¨¨.«=%*¤##
#¤*%/»,,.¨                                          ¨.,,»/%*¤#