#§$»»^,..,                                          ,..,^»»$§#
##£&$$;«~,                                          ,~«;$$&£##
##£¤§*;~,,                                          ,,~;*§¤£##
@££^†,:~.¨                                          ¨.~:,†^££@
#@@£&*/«.¨                                          ¨.«/*&£@@#
##¶¤$†;=~¨                 statuette                ¨~=;†$¤¶##
@§&^-«,..,                                          ,..,«-^&§@
@&%-^..~¨. @%*¤£$**&@&£$$@£--»«»~«-*£§%¤*&$§£@*&¤£¤ .¨~..^-%&@
#¤%=\~¨.¨.                $&&$§$$$@                 .¨.¨~\=%¤#
####@$^*-¨                                          ¨-*^$@####
#%£%$:»»-. forests around my childhood  home. thick .-»»:$%£%#
###&$%=»^, pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ,^»=%$&###
@@^%=¨.¨¨.       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.              ,:»:%&#£@#
@@@@£$†»-.                                          .-»†$£@@@@
#@#@£%†=~,                                          ,~=†%£@#@#
##@#§^;--¨                                          ¨--;^§#@##
##@#£$;~,¨                                          ¨,~;$£#@##
@@#*£*^~~¨                                          ¨~~^*£*#@@
###£&=\«,,                                          ,,«\=&£###