##@£$%=«^,                                          ,^«=%$£@##
¶@@@%†\~,¨                                          ¨,~\†%@@@¶
##£§£§;«:¨                                          ¨:«;§£§£##
£$%=-¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨-=%$£
##£@%*;=~.                                          .~=;*%@£##
###@§†^»~,                 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. .~=^^&£@##
#@#¤£%\~^.                                          .^~\%£¤#@#
###&$%\=,, my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some ,,=\%$&###
##£¤$**-,, particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ,,-**$¤£##
##£#$%/~~, she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ,~~/%$#£##
#@@¤@$:~-.              throw it away.              .-~:$@¤@@#
#¶¶@@^=~-.                                          .-~=^@@¶¶#
##¶&£%\«-,                                          ,-«\%£&¶##
@#£*=$^»^,                                          ,^»^$=*£#@
@§†««,.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.,««†§@
####£$^»-.                                          .-»^$£####
@%*;»--..¨                                          ¨..--»;*%@