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