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