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